User:BisforBiology/sandbox

Currently the Wikipedia article titled "Geukensia Demissa," otherwise known as the Atlantic Ribbed Mussel is severely lacking in content. Currently the wiki page only has only three sections: distribution, habitat, and reproduction. The wikiprojects bivalves considers this Wikipedia page as a "stub" and rightfully so. Each of the sections only have a few lines of text which is insufficient for the few sections that exist.

I plan to enhance the sections that already exist. In addition I plan to create the following sections to replicate the general mussel Wikipedia page: general anatomy, life habits (feeding, reproduction, predators, and effects on marine environments), and their relationship to humans (aquaculture or medical uses). Reference: Mussel. I would also like to add a lot more visuals

Potential Sources (I left them as URLs for convenience, I will format later

http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Geukensia_demissa.htm (general info)

http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/atlantic_ribbed_mussel (general info)

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?sid=409abbae-bb02-4849-80f2-ec520e72282d%40sessionmgr106&vid=0&hid=108&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=edsjsr.1352143&db=edsjsr ( Age and growth rate determinants)

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?sid=f39531c4-bc33-405d-9010-3d3e68e5e0a8%40sessionmgr120&vid=0&hid=108&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=90479770&db=eih (Quantifying feeding behaviors)

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Geukensia_demissa/ (general info)

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3 paragraphs:

General Information

Geukensia demissa is commonly referred to as the Atlantic Ribbed Mussel, Ribbed Mussel, or the Ribbed Horsemussel. The Atlantic Ribbed Mussel, can be found throughout the the United States on the Eastern shore, spanning from the Gulf of Maine to the Gulf of Mexico. The mussel’s shell color can vary from olive-brown to brownish-black with some white spots. The inside of the shell is silvery white with tints of purple or blue. The mussels can also grow anywhere from two to four inches in length. Geukensia demissa can live for more than fifteen years. The rings on the exterior of the mussel are used to identify the age, known as annual growth lines, with each consecutive ring representing one additional year of age. The consensus among many scientists, is that exterior annual growth line rings are more accurate than internal growth lines of the mussel.

Life Cycle & Reproduction

Geukensia demissa starts off as a plankton-like larvae that has the ability to travel across the sea and finds a place to settle. The Atlantic Ribbed mussel are the most concentrated in inter-tidal zones like marshes, shorelines, and human made structures on beaches. Once settled, the mussels are sedentary and they only move occasionally due to environmental factors. The mussel’s sexual maturity can be determined by either weight or length. The earliest a mussel can start reproducing is 12mm, whereas the average length is around 20mm and above.[4] These marks of sexual maturity are usually achieved after their second growth season. Growth of the mussel dramatically decrease during reproductive stages of life, due to energy being diverted from growth to reproduction instead. Geukensia demissa are broadcast spawners, meaning during the summer (July-September), males and females release sperm and egg into the ocean, where fertilization takes place. [4]

Ecology

When Geukensia demissa are covered with water, the mussels opens it's cilia on its gills to draw water and food in. Benthic feeders like mussels only can source their food from organic particulates like plankton and debris. Usually when water is fairly highly concentrated in inorganic sediments shell length and the overall health of the mussel can dramatically decrease. Mussels have a huge role on their respective ecosystems by filtering out excess particles. Humans benefit from the mussels filtering the water, which helps maintain fish and shellfish nurseries. The toxins in the mussels can be used as an indicator for the overall health of an ecosystem. These toxin include many human pollutants such as mercury as well has harmful algae blooms that affect the growth of digest tubules in mussels, which may result in starvation. As a food source for humans, Geukensia demissa are not good to eat due to their high concentration of toxins, which may lead to the consumer being sick. There are many predators that love eating Geukensia demissa like crabs (blue crabs and mud crabs) and shorebirds (clapper rails, willets, and dulins). The only defense the mussels have against predators is their shell, otherwise they are a tasty meal. Flatworms, a parasitic worm, use Geukensia demissa as a host in which they conduct their feeding as well.

PEER REVIEW BY ANASTASIA EDDINGTON: GOOD JOB PROVIDING CITATIONS FOR THE INFORMATION GIVEN, IT SHOWS THE READER THAT YOU DID RESEARCH AND ARE INFORMED ABOUT THE SUBJECT; IT CAN ALSO GIVE THEM A PLACE TO GO IF THEY WANT TO LOOK ABOUT FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE MUSSEL.I WOULD ADD A PICTURE OF THE ORGANISM. OTHERWISE I THINK THE INFORMATION YOU HAVE IS CONCISE.