Abstract
Filtration by the freshwater mussel (Hyridella menziesi) population of Lake Tuakitoto (New Zealand) was modelled by determining the population biomass, filtration capability, and proportion of time spent filtering. The mean mussel biomass in the lake was 12.3 g/m 2 AFDW, the mean filtration rate of 32 mussels was 1.9 L hr -1 g -1 at 19-21°C, and mussels actively filtered for 93% of the time. It was calculated that the mussel population of Lake Tuakitoto filters a volume of water equal to that of the lake once every 32 hours, which represents an exponential grazing rate on the phytoplankton of 0.29/day. Mussel grazing may account for the observed suppression of chlorophyll-a concentrations to about 10 % of those predicted by phosphorus-chlorophyll relationships in this lake. Hyridella was found to filter dinoflagellate cells from a nuisance bloom in another hypereutrophic lake at about 35 % of their rate when feeding on the green algae, Choricystis coccoides. These results suggest that Hyridella has potential as a biomanipulation tool for control of phytoplankton in eutrophic lakes.
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