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Journal of Experimental Biology 69,1-12 (1977)
Published by Company of Biologists 1977

Metabolic and Tissue Solute Changes Associated With Changes in the Freezing Tolerance of the Bivalve Mollusc Modiolus Demissus

DENNIS J. MURPHY ¹

¹ Department of Zoology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742; Department of Zoology, Connecticut College, New London, Connecticut 06320

1. A physiological mechanism responsible for increasing the freezing tolerance of the bivalve Modiolus demissus (Dillwyn) following low-temperature acclimation was demonstrated.

2. The rates of oxygen consumption of M. demissus acclimated to temperatures between 0 and 24 °C were presented as an Arrhenius plot. A change in slope occurred at 10 °C, suggesting that temperature alone was not responsible for the increased decline in the rate of oxygen consumption below 10 °C.

3. Low-temperature acclimation had no effect on blood Na⁺ or K⁺ concentrations but did reduce the concentration of blood Mg²⁺ and, in addition, resulted in the accumulation of end-products characteristic of anaerobic metabolism - tissue alanine and proline, and blood Ca²⁺. Furthermore, maintenance of M. demissus under anaerobic conditions increased freezing tolerance.

4. Taken together, these data indicate that the increased freezing tolerance of M. demissus acclimated to low temperatures involves a conversion to anaerobic metabolism.

5. The increase in blood Ca²⁺ following low-temperature acclimation was associated with the increased freezing tolerance. Finally, Mg²⁺ simulated the effect of Ca²⁺ on freezing tolerance, but was only 20% as effective.

6. These results suggest that a Ca²⁺-dependent mechanism responsible for increasing the freezing tolerance of M. demissus exists, and that the increase in blood Ca²⁺ is due to a conversion to anaerobic metabolism.