Ecophysiological importance of the isolation response of hibernating blue mussels (Mytilus edulis)

Blue mussels, Mytilus edulis L., were collected at a site in Trondheimsfjordon, Norway in 1980 and 1981. The mussels isolate themselves from the ambient seawater for long periods in winter. When isolated, the mussels maintain a high osmotic concentration in the mantle fluid as the external salinity drops. The mussels display anaerobic metabolism when they are isolated. The isolation response is likely to be favourable to the mussels, with regard both to the energy budget and the freezing tolerance.