The effects of substrate materials on byssus adhesion of highly invasive fouling mussel Limnoperna fortunei and their influencing mechanisms

The golden mussel (Limnoperna fortunei Dunker,1857) is a representative fouling species in freshwater ecosystems. Biofouling caused by this species not only affects the health of freshwater ecosystems but also brings huge economic losses to the important industries of the national economy such as water conservancy projects, transportation, and aquaculture. It has become a potential threat to global water ecological security, which is urgent to carry out relevant governance work for managing golden mussel biofouling. However, some existing control strategies cannot completely solve the problem of biofouling caused by golden mussel. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the scientific research efforts to explore more effective control methods. The biofouling of mussels depends on the adhesion behavior of byssus on the surface of underwater substrate materials. Clarifying the influences of substrate materials on the adhesion of golden mussel byssus and the related mechanisms based on the understanding of byssus adhesion is the prerequisite and foundation for exploring effective control strategies against the biofouling of golden mussels from the perspective of byssus adhesion. Based on these scientific and practical issues, this study conducted laboratory simulation experiments to analyze the impacts of different substrate materials on the byssus adhesion of golden mussels from two aspects: byssus production and adhesion capacity. Potential substrate materials suitable for biofouling management were screened out, and the molecular mechanisms underlying the differences in byssus adhesion on the surfaces of different substrate materials were revealed using various molecular biology techniques. These results are respected to clarify the impacts of substrate materials on the byssus adhesion of golden mussels and their underlying mechanisms.