Variation in Copper Content in the Cultivated Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Lam.

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This article provides an overview of individual features of Cu content in shells and soft tissues of the M. galloprovincialis specimens cultivated in the coastal waters of Sevastopol. It is shown that Cu deposition in the shells limits the elongation of shells in mollusks 30.20 ± 0.07 mm in size and the convexity of shells in mollusks 50.30 ± 0.14 mm in size. Such changes can affect soft tissue mass and economic performance of mussel farms. The Cu content in the shell does not increase with the age of the mollusk and does not exceed 8–12 µg/g of ash. In soft tissues, the content of Cu depends on the size, season, sex, and stage of gonad maturation and is 8–10 times as high as in the shell. Remarkably, females in M. galloprovincialis accumulate Cu in soft tissue in larger quantities than the males. Among the studied size groups of mollusks, the Cu content in the tissues of females varies more widely (C_V 53–57%) than in males (25–36%). The findings can be used for assessing the quality of mussel-farm products and studying polymorphism, abnormalites in the development of mussels, and sex reversal in populations of cultivated mussels M. galloprovincialis.