Reattachment of certain species of mytilid bivalves to various substrates

Reattachment to various substrates (concrete, wood, and iron) was studied in three species of Mytilidae in the laboratory. Each of the investigated species exhibited substrate selectivity. The most successful substrate colonization occurred on concrete, which, owing to its physicochemical properties, proved to be more appropriate for rapid and firm anchorage of the mollusks. Mytilid response to any specific substrate, judged from the reattachment rate and substrate preference, may indirectly indicate the possibile existence of natural communities of organisms associated with a corresponding biotope.