Attachment of zebra and quagga mussel adhesive plaques to diverse substrates.

ABSTRACT: Like marine mussels, freshwater zebra and quagga mussels adhere via the byssus, a proteinaceous attachment apparatus. Attachment to various surfaces allows these invasive mussels to rapidly spread, however the adhesion mechanism is not fully understood. While marine mussel adhesion mechanics has been studied at the individual byssal-strand level, freshwater mussel adhesion has only been characterized through whole-mussel detachment, without direct interspecies comparisons on different substrates. Here, adhesive strength of individual quagga and zebra mussel byssal plaques were measured on smooth substrates with varying hydrophobicity-glass, PVC, and PDMS. With increased hydrophobicity of substrates, adhesive failures occurred more frequently, and mussel adhesion strength decreased. A new f

SUBMITTER: James BD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8671477 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature