California mussel
California mussels are found clustered together, often in very large aggregations, on rocks in the upper intertidal zone on the open coast, where they are exposed to the strong action of the surf.[1][2] However it was the opposite - showing that the deciding factor in M. californianus shell carbonate composition is ocean acidification - because calcite withstands acidity better.[1][2] The California mussel prefers the high salinity, low sediment conditions found on open rocky coasts.[citation needed] However, mortality in intertidal open coastal environments is often high, resulting from battering from driftwood and other debris, wave pounding, predation, desiccation, and disease.[3] California mussels were an important food source for the Native Americans who lived on the Pacific Coast prior to European contact.
Scientific classificationEukaryotaAnimaliaMolluscaBivalviaMytilidaMytilidaeMytilusBinomial nameConradCambria, CaliforniaGloiopeltis furcataintertidal zonesmusselmarinebivalvemolluskNorth AmericaMexicoAleutian IslandsAlaskaintertidal zoneperiostracumbyssuscarbonatesaragonitecalciteocean temperatureocean acidificationsalinitysedimentcolonizedriftwoodpredationdesiccationdiseasePisasterstarfishNative AmericansErlandsonSan Miguel IslandChumashmusselsoystersred tideparalytic shellfish poisoningkeystone specieszoologistRobert T. Paineprofessor emeritusUniversity of WashingtonPisaster ochraceusBlue musselProceedings of the National Academy of SciencesNational Academy of SciencesBibcodeBloomsbury USABivalvesAtlantic jackknifeAtlantic surfGeoduckGrooved carpet shellHard clamMactra stultorumBlunt gaperOcean quahogPacific razorCalifornia butterclamSenilia senilisSmooth clamSoft-shellTriangle shellTuatuaJapanese littleneckRazor clamPod razorPaphiesCocklesCommonGoolwaNew ZealandSydneyGiant AtlanticMediterraneanNew Zealand green-lippedAsian/Philippine greenEasternOlympiaSouthern mudColchester nativePacificPortugueseWindowpaneSydney rockOstra chilena/BluffGillardeau oystersCrassostreaScallopsAtlantic bayGreat/kingPecten jacobaeusPeruvian calicoPlacopecten magellanicusGastropodsAbaloneBlacklipGreenlipGreen ormerSouth African abaloneChileanConchesElegantLimpetsBlack-foot opihi/HawaiianTurtle/talcYellow-foot opihiCommon EuropeanRayed MediterraneanRibbed MediterraneanRusticPeriwinklesBandedLittorina sitkanaWhelksChanneledKellet's