Pumping and oxygen cunsumption rates ofMytilus edulisL. of different sizes

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Abstract
Pumping rate (P), oxygen uptake (R), gill area (A), and absorption efficiency (Ab) in Mytilus edulis have been studied. The parameters are expressed as functions of the dry weight of soft parts (W) by a power function Y = a·Wb where Y is the dependent variable. It is found tha P = 3.90·W0.80 l/hr, R = 0.37·W0.75 ml O2/hr, A = 34.34·W0.65 cm2, Ab = 78.16·W−0.02‰ and P/R = 10.47·W−0.16 l water pumped/ml O2 consumed. The gill area increases significantly faster with size than the pumping rate. The P/R ratio shows that the energy available for growth and reproduction decreases with increasing size as the absorption does not change significantly with size. The effect of seasonal changes in P and R on the P/R ratio is discussed.