Mehler, Knut; Steinmann, Anna; Rick, Johannes J: Physiological responses of Mytilus edulis and Magallana gigas from a three-month mesocosm experiment, Sylt, 2023 [dataset]. PANGAEA, https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.992739 (dataset in review)
Abstract:
This dataset reports physiological measurements of two bivalve species, Mytilus edulis (blue mussel) and Magallana gigas (Pacific oyster), obtained during a three-month mesocosm experiment conducted in Sylt, Germany, in 2023. Physiological data were collected between 27 April 2023 and 25 June 2023.Twelve mesocosms were used to investigate the effects of temperature on individual-level physiological traits, with treatments including ambient temperature and ambient +3°C. Parameters measured include clearance rate, ingestion rate, and respiration rate. Environmental variables such as water temperature, depth, and sampling time were recorded for each measurement. Individual bivalves were labeled for tracking, and species identification followed WoRMS taxonomy. Measurements were performed using handheld multiparameter instruments and laboratory analyses. The dataset provides high-resolution, individual-based physiological responses of bivalves to moderate warming, supporting research on temperature-dependent feeding, metabolic processes, and energy flux in coastal ecosystems.
Keyword(s):
Supplement to:
Mehler, Knut; Steinmann, Anna; Habedank, Joel; Rick, Johannes J (submitted): Opportunistic vs. Conservative: Species-Specific Bivalve Responses to Warming in the Wadden Sea. Marine Biology
References:
Dummermuth, Angelika; Wiltshire, Karen Helen; Kirstein, Inga Vanessa; Brodte, Eva-Maria; Wichels, Antje; Shama, Lisa N S; Bergmann, A; Hofmann, Claudia; Fischer, Philipp; Mölter, Kerstin; Strasser, Matthias (2023): Marine Stations Helgoland and Sylt operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research. Journal of large-scale research facilities JLSRF, 8(1), https://doi.org/10.17815/jlsrf-8-184
Mehler, Knut; Steinmann, Anna; Scotti, Marco; Ito, Maysa; Joly, Léa J; MacNeil, Liam; Rick, Johannes J (2025): Bridging the gap between field and lab: Applicability and performance of the Sylt mesocosms facility to simulate climate change scenarios on intertidal benthic communities. Limnology and Oceanography, 70(S2), S404-S416, https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.70231
Tang, Baojun; Riisgård, Hans Ulrik (2018): Relationship between oxygen concentration, respiration and filtration rate in blue mussel Mytilus edulis. Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 36(2), 395-404, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-018-6244-4
Project(s):
Funding:
Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), grant/award no. 03F0913C: DAM sustainMare - iSeal, AWI
Coverage:
Latitude: 55.022035 * Longitude: 8.438192
Date/Time Start: 2023-03-13T00:00:00 * Date/Time End: 2023-06-26T00:00:00
Minimum DEPTH, water, experiment: 0.4 m * Maximum DEPTH, water, experiment: 0.4 m
Event(s):
Sylt_Medulis_Mgigas_2023 * Latitude: 55.024410 * Longitude: 8.439240 * Date/Time Start: 2023-03-13T00:00:00 * Date/Time End: 2023-03-17T00:00:00 * Method/Device: Sampling by hand (HAND) * Comment: Original sampling location of the specimens in the field. Species were collected during low tide between 2 pm and 6 pm and directly transferred to the mesocosms after sampling.
Sylt_Mesocosm_2023_abiot * Latitude: 55.022035 * Longitude: 8.438192 * Date/Time Start: 2023-03-16T00:00:00 * Date/Time End: 2023-06-26T00:00:00 * Method/Device: Mesocosm experiment (MESO)
Comment:
Clearance rate (CL)
Parameter: Clearance rate (L min⁻¹)
Method:
Single individuals were enclosed in PVC cores (diameter 15 cm; ~5 cm sediment penetration). A defined algal suspension (Rhodomonas salina) was added to achieve a known chlorophyll-a concentration. Water was mixed continuously. Chlorophyll-a (µg L⁻¹) was measured over 90 min at 10-min intervals using a BBE AlgaeLabAnalyzer (bbe Moldaenke GmbH, Germany). Control incubations without animals were conducted to correct for background chlorophyll-a loss.
Calculation:
CL = (Vol / t) × ln(Ct₀ / Ct₁)
Vol = enclosed water volume (L)
t = incubation time (min)
Ct₀ = initial chlorophyll-a concentration (µg L⁻¹)
Ct₁ = final chlorophyll-a concentration (µg L⁻¹)
Control values were subtracted from animal treatments.
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Ingestion rate (IR)
Parameter: Ingestion rate (µg chl-a min⁻¹)
Calculation:
IR = CL × Xk
Xk = half-saturation coefficient (µg chl-a L⁻¹):
*2 for M. edulis
*12.6 for M. gigas
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Respiration rate (R)
Parameter: Respiration rate (mg O₂ h⁻¹)
Method:
Individuals were incubated individually in airtight 500 mL glass bottles containing 0.2 µm-filtered seawater. Oxygen concentration (mg L⁻¹) was measured continuously using an Oxy-4-SMA respirometer (PreSens Precision Sensing GmbH, Germany). Water was mixed magnetically. Temperature was maintained at mesocosm conditions.
Control incubations without animals were conducted to correct for background oxygen changes.
Oxygen concentration decline was regressed over time; control slopes were subtracted from animal slopes.
Ash-free dry weight (AFDW, g) was determined after drying at 60 °C (≥72 h, constant weight) and combustion at 500 °C for 3 h.
Calculation (after Tang & Riisgård 2018):
R = Vol × 60 × a
Vol = bottle water volume (L)
a = corrected slope of oxygen decline (mg O₂ L⁻¹ min⁻¹)
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All calculated rates were converted to h⁻¹ in the published dataset.
Parameter(s):
| # | Name | Short Name | Unit | Principal Investigator | Method/Device | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Type of study | Study type | Mehler, Knut | |||
| 2 | Sampling date/time, experiment | Date/time sampling exp | Mehler, Knut | |||
| 3 | LATITUDE | Latitude | Mehler, Knut | Geocode | ||
| 4 | LONGITUDE | Longitude | Mehler, Knut | Geocode | ||
| 5 | Month | Month | Mehler, Knut | Time Period | ||
| 6 | Mesocosm label | Meso label | Mehler, Knut | 12 mesocosms used in the experiment | ||
| 7 | Treatment: temperature description | T:Temp descr | Mehler, Knut | ambient, ambient +3°C | ||
| 8 | Species, unique identification | Species UID | Mehler, Knut | |||
| 9 | Species, unique identification (Semantic URI) | Species UID (Semantic URI) | Mehler, Knut | |||
| 10 | Species, unique identification (URI) | Species UID (URI) | Mehler, Knut | |||
| 11 | Specimen identification | Spec ID | Mehler, Knut | Bivalve ID: Each individual was labelled with a letter and number | ||
| 12 | DEPTH, water, experiment | Depth water exp | m | Mehler, Knut | Geocode | |
| 13 | Temperature, water | Temp | °C | Mehler, Knut | Handheld multiparameter instrument, WTW, ph 330i | |
| 14 | Clearance rate | CR | l/h | Mehler, Knut | Calculated, see Comment | Individual Clearance Rate |
| 15 | Ash free dry mass | afdm | g | Mehler, Knut | Laboratory balance, Sartorius, 00AC | Ash-free dry weight (AFDW) refers to the ash weight of the meat subtracted from shell-free dry weight |
| 16 | Clearance rate, per ash free dry mass | CR afdm | l/h/g | Mehler, Knut | Calculated | Clearance Rate per AFDW |
| 17 | Ingestion rate of chlorophyll a | IR chl a | µg/h | Mehler, Knut | Calculated, see Comment | Individual Ingestion Rate |
| 18 | Respiration rate, oxygen | Resp O2 | mg/h | Mehler, Knut | Calculated according to Tang & Riisgård (2018) | Individual Respiration Rate |
License:
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0) (License comes into effect after moratorium ends)
Status:
Curation Level: Enhanced curation (CurationLevelC)
Size:
1530 data points