Environmental influence on mussel growth: A dynamic energy budget model and its application to the greenshell mussel Perna canaliculus

A generic dynamic energy budget model for marine bivalves has been developed to describe energy flux during physiological processes. The model is based on the assumption that assimilated energy is incorporated into reserves from which it is utilised to meet the demands of maintenance, growth, development and reproduction. It includes feedback mechanisms in energy acquisition and allocation. The acquisition process depends on surface area and the maintenance process depends on structural body volume. The model is parameterised for and applied to the greenshell mussel Perna canaliculus to simulate its physiological responses to dynamic environments. It was calibrated using one set of environmental and mussel growth data and a different dataset was used for model validation. Results of simulations indicated that the model responded adequately to various inputs and can simulate trajectories of mussel growth and condition in farming ecosystems within New Zealand.