Cultiu in vitro de nàiade allargada (Unio mancus Lamarck 1819) en condicions de laboratori

Abstract

Freshwater mussels (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Unionoidea) are one of the most threatened animal group in Catalonia. Therefore, artificial culture has been established as the main measure for their conservation. LIFE project Potamo Fauna is working on the population's conservation of Unio mancus Lamark, 1819 and Unio ravoisieri in Girona's rivers based on an in vivo culture method in which it is used glochidia to infest host fish under controlled laboratory conditions. The aim of this paper is to put into practice the in vitro method to culture Unio mancus artificially, which allows glochidia to undergo their metamorphosis without the use of a host fish. This method consists on culturing glochidia in an incubator under controlled temperature and CO2conditions, in an artificial culture medium containing M199, carp or rabbit serum, and a mixture of antibiotics and an antifungal. The objectives of this work are to determinate which of the two types of serum (carp or rabbit) is better for the culture medium, and also to determinate if a previous treatment of glochidia with malachite green has an effect on the survival or fungal contamination of the culture. Previously, the dose of malachite green used in the treatment will be defined, as well as the appropriate pH, CO2 and temperature conditions for the culture. Glochidia were tracked, and when they metamorphosed into juveniles, their metamorphosis success was calculated. With the obtained results once the culture is done, it has been determined that the best type of serum for the in vitro culture is the one from carp, because it allows a greater metamorphosis success for the glochidia during the culture, as well as presenting less fungal contamination in comparison with rabbit serum. It has also been determined that a treatment with malachite green has not any effect on the metamorphosis success of glochidia or fungal contamination of the culture medium. Finally, it is important to highlight the fact that it is the first time that juveniles of the species Unio mancus are obtained through an in vitro culture method