Biofouling by the invasive golden mussel Limnoperna fortunei deleteriously affects artificial water systems, but few effective, environmentally friendly antifouling strategies exist. We propose ultrasound for control of this invasive mussel and report minimum exposure times to kill juveniles and adults at ultrasonic powers ranging 300-600 W from a fixed distance of 8.5 cm. Analysis using a PMA + RT-qPCR assay revealed the formation of tissue lesions in response to ultrasound, with gill tissue more prone to injury than adductor muscle tissue. Shell microstructure determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) + energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) is plywood-like, with a thicker shell and increased numbers of prism and nacre layers in adult mussels that provide greater resistance to ultrasound, reducing mortality and tissue lesions. Our results suggest L. fortunei biomass could be effectively reduced by ultrasound, especially for early life-history stages without, or with only immature shells.
Keywords: Limnoperna fortunei; PMAxx+ RT-qPCR; Shell microstructure; Tissue lesion; Ultrasound.
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