Physiological responses of the tropical mussel, Modiolus auriculatus—a possible biological monitor in French Polynesia

Modiolus auriculatus can be a useful organism in the biomonitoring and biological testing of the lagoonal environment in French Polynesia. In this paper the pumping behaviour response of M. auriculatus to organochlorine pollutants is presented as a tool for the assessment of toxicity. Changes in the pumping behaviour are monitored in the laboratory using measurements of respiration and filtration in clean and polluted water. Metabolic rates decrease in presence of lindane (organochlorine pesticide). Results show the good sensitivity of the method presented in this paper.