Mussel:
Greek scientists have deployed thousands of mussels across the Mediterranean seafloor to help detect microplastics.
- Mussel is a bivalve mollusks belonging to the marine family Mytilidae and to the freshwater family Unionidae.
- They are most common in cool seas. Freshwater mussels known as naiads inhabit streams, lakes, and ponds over most of the world.
- Marine mussels are usually wedge-shaped or pear-shaped and range in size from about 5 to 15 centimetres.
- They may be smooth or ribbed and often have a hairy covering.
- The shells of many species are dark blue or dark greenish brown on the outside; on the inside they are often pearly.
- They attach themselves to solid objects or to one another by proteinaceous threads called byssus threads.
- They often occur in dense clusters.
- They are edible and considered nutritious, rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and various vitamins and minerals.
- Freshwater mussels are used for pearl cultivation.
- These species are filter-feeding organisms that absorb a range of contaminants into their tissue, including invisible microplastics.
- They have been used globally for decades as a barometer of marine pollution.
