An Integrated Approach to Assessing the Effects of Environmental Factors on Mussels in the Black Sea

Abstract. Metabolic modifications, including in lipid profiles, and physiological and morphological disorders, can be used as indicators of the health status of an organism and its adaptive strategy, such as tolerance and survival under environmental impacts. An integrative approach to studying the effects of environmental factors on an organism must take into account the seasonality and differences in the organism’s habitat. Mussels in the bivalve genus Mytilus are used worldwide as marine sentinel organisms in biomonitoring programmes. Seasonal changes in the lipid composition of mussels reflect the effect of a wide range of environmental factors: temperature, salinity, quality and availability of food sources, and stages of the reproductive cycle. This study compared the lipid profiles of mussels from different habitats in the Black Sea depending on the stage of their reproductive cycle. The lipid profile of the gills and digestive glands of Black Sea mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) depends on environmental factors specific to these locations and is determined by reproductive processes. This indicates the important role of lipid molecules in the life cycle of mussels, as well as during their adaptation to environmental factors. These findings can be used for integrated assessment of the impact of environmental factors on the sentinel organisms used in biomonitoring research. Keywords: lipids, phospholipids, mussels, season, environmental factors, habitat