28 Jan 2010

Day 28:

Today was all about mussel dissections for a 2nd year marine biology practical. In the past, dissections such as this would have really put me off. I used to only like to appreciate whole, fully functioning organisms rather than open them to see how they function, but after spending so much time in labs over the last several years and around people dissecting things, it's hard not to be curious, and perhaps even a little less grossed out by the process. Although it was down to the students to actually cut through the posterior adductor muscles (which is what the bivalve is using to keep its shell closed) and gently scrape the mantle tissue off of the right valve before removing completely, I had to help walk them through what they were seeing once the animal inside the shell was exposed. It's pretty wild to still a mostly functioning animal in such a way. We were able to watch how it collects food, moving it down its gills and onto the labial palps and how it rids itself of rejected particles in addition to looking at how its foot moves around and puts down byssal threads to attached itself to stuff... just like spiderman! I must say that I think a few students may now be put off eating mussels in the future now that they've seen (and watched) exactly what they're eating...