Temporal and spatial patterns of growth in mussels Mytilus edulis on an offshore platform: relationships to water temperature and food availability

Abstract

Temporal and spatial (depth) patterns of shell growth were studied in the mussel Mytilus edulis in relation to water temperature and potential food availability, at an offshore oil platform, Holly (ARCO), in the Santa Barbara Channel, California. Length-specific growth rates were highest from late May to July and at a depth of 9 m. The time to achieve a length of 50 mm from recruitment was estimated at 6–8 months. Growth rates were not correlated with water temperature, using multiple regression and correlation analysis. Temporal variation in the growth of 20- and 35-mm mussels correlated with chlorophyll a concentration at time lags of 2 and 4 wk, respectively. Variation in growth of mussels with depth was more closely associated with the concentration of particulate organic carbon than with chlorophyll a. Our results indicate that water temperature can be disregarded as an important factor in regulating mussel growth in California waters, but that growth could vary in association with well-documented regional variation in phytoplankton biomass.