Ecology of Mytilus californianus
| Main Ref. | Gallivan, G. and J. Danforth, 1999 |
|---|---|
| Remarks | Found in dense colonies on wharf piles and surf exposed rocks in the mid to high tide zone. Its diet include fine organic detritus, living plankton, especially dinoflagellates; when the water exceeds a certain temperature, often from late May through October, mussels feed on dinoflagellates that make them poisonous for humans to eat (Ref. 312). Very dominant competitor in an intertidal bed. Prefers to settle on other mussels and barnacles, giving it a competitive advantage (Ref. 104225). Predators are ochre star, dogwinkle, and humans (Ref. 312). Occurs from mid to high tide mark (Ref. 312). |
Aquatic zones / Water bodies
| Marine - Neritic | Marine - Oceanic | Brackishwater | Freshwater | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies |
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Habitat
| Substrate | Benthic: sessile; Hard Bottom: rocky; |
|---|---|
| Substrate Ref. | |
| Special habitats | Beds: rock; Other habitats: seamounts; pilings; |
| Special habitats Ref. | Harbo, R.M., 1997 |
Associations
| Ref. | Harbo, R.M., 1997 |
|---|---|
| Associations | parasitism; colony-forming/symphorism; |
| Associated with | Free-living Achelia chelata reported to parasitize the mussel (Ref. 121217). |
| Association remarks | Forms extensive mussel beds on surf-exposed rocks (Ref. 95344). |
| Parasitism |
feeding
| Feeding type | mainly plants/detritus (troph. 2-2.19) |
|---|---|
| Feeding type Ref. | Gallivan, G. and J. Danforth, 1999 |
| Feeding habit | filtering plankton |
| Feeding habit Ref. | Gallivan, G. and J. Danforth, 1999 |
Trophic Level(s)
| Estimation method | original sample | unfished population | Remark | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troph | s.e. | Troph | s.e. | ||
| From diet composition | |||||
| From individual food items | 2.00 | 0.00 | Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine. | ||
| Ref. | |||||