Ice nucleation in the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis)

The ice nucleation temperatures of different homogenised organs of the mussel Mytilus edulis L. were examined. The stomach and the hemolymph had the highest nucleation temperatures. In the homogenised stomach the nucleation temperatures were fairly constant throughout the year, whereas the nucleation temperatures of the hemolymph increased in the cold season. Bacterial growth experiments, microfiltration, and experiments using antibiotics indicated that the nucleators were not of bacterial origin. The nucleation temperatures of natural seawater were approximately −9 °C, whereas seawater made from distilled water and sea salt had nucleation temperatures of about −17 °C. The nucleation temperatures of the seawater were reduced when the seawater was filtered by the mussels. However, no clear indication that the nucleators in the stomach were obtained from the seawater was found. Stomach homogenates from mussels kept in nucleator-free water had the same supercooling points as stomach homogenates from mussels kept in natural seawater. This indicates that the nucleators in the stomach are not obtained from the seawater. The temperature and light conditions examined in the present study did not significantly influence the hemolymph ice nucleation temperatures of mussels kept in the laboratory. Received: 24 October 1996 / Accepted: 16 November 1996