The project partner AquaBioTech Group based in Malta is performing ecotoxicity experiments on mussels.

AquaBioTech Group scientists led by Dr. Marina Maritati are conducting macrofouling tests on the mussel species Brachidontes pharaonis 🐚.
This invasive species can easily colonize many environments. Native of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, B. pharaonis has widely spread in the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal.

As filter feeders with limited mobility, mussels are highly susceptible to water pollution, which makes them very good eco-toxicity indicators.

Mussels have a characteristic byssus thread, a proteic filament that allows the individuals to attach to different substrates.
Under the effect of pollution and environmental toxicants, the byssus production can decrease or be absent, and the attachment strength to the substrate can be deteriorated thus compromising the resistance of the mussels to high wave forces and predators.

You can find below a close up picture of one of the experimental mussels attaching to a substrate with its byssus thread. This behavior indicates the low toxicity of the environment.