Sperm motility of quagga mussels exposed to cyanobacteria in a laboratory bioassay, 2016

These data contain information about sub-lethal effects of cyanobacteria exposure on quagga mussel. Sub-lethal effects of cyanobacteria exposure on quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) sperm were evaluated. After inducing mussels to spawn using serotonin, sperm were collected and exposed to 11 cultures of cyanobacteria including Anabaena flos-aquae, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Dolichospermum lemmermanii, Gloeotrichia echinulata, five cultures of Microcystis aeruginosa, M. wesenbergii, and Planktothrix suspensa. Sperm motility, using endpoints of cumulative distance traveled and mean velocity, was calculated for a minimum of 10 individual sperm using a novel optical biotracking assay method. The distance and velocity at which sperm traveled decreased when exposed to Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and two M. aeruginosa cultures.