The Ocean Is Not Deep Enough: Pressure Tolerances During Early Ontogeny Of The Blue Mussel Mytilus Edulis

The common blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) expresses a close genetic relationship with hydrothermal-vent mussels of the subfamily Bathymodiolinae.


In this work, the entire temperature and pressure tolerance window was studied throughout the embryonic development of the shallow-water blue mussel and for the first time in an aquatic invertebrate.


Extraordinary pressure tolerance equivalent of 5000m water depth in these early life history stages point at a direct colonisation of deep-sea hydrothermal vents by a shallow-water ancestor over long evolutionary period of time, and challenge previous hypothesis of a wood/bone to cold seep/hydrothermal vent colonization pathway.


Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences


Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.


Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences