유해남조의 생물학적 제어를 위한 연구의 일환으로 북한강수계(가평)에 서식하는 이매패 말조개(Unio douglasiae)의 섭식특성을 조사하였다. 섭식실험은 크게 시간별, 개체크기, 동물밀도, 먹이밀도 (엽록소-a 농도) 등에 따라 패류의 여과율 및 배설물 생산량을 각각 측정하였다. 말조개의 여과율은 섭식 후 적용 7시간째 (0.21 L $g^{-1}h^{-1}$, 0.54 mg $g^{-1}h^{-1}$), 크기 5 cm보다 작은 개체에서 최고 여과율 및 배설물 생산량 (5.89 L $g^{-1}h^{-1}$, 16.38 mg $g^{-1}h^{-1}$)을 각각 나타냈다. 또한 가장 낮은 먹이밀도 (엽록소-a 88.5 ${mu}gL^{-1}$)에서 0.41 L $g^{-1}h^{-1}$로 최고 여과율을 보였으며, 일정 먹이농도 이상에서는 배설물 생산량이 증가하지 않는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 패류의 조류 제어효과는 개체 밀도가 증가할수록 뚜렷한 효과를 나타냈다. 결국 이상의 결과들은 북한강에 서식하는 이매패 말조개가 부영양호수의 남조류 제어의 유용생물로서 적용 가능성을 입증하였다.
A freshwater bivalve (Unio douglasiae) was examined to assess the filtering rate (FR) on the cyanobacterial assemblage in a hypertrophic lake. Animal U. douglasiae used in the present study was collected using a hand-operated dredge from the North Han River (Gapyeong, Korea). The FR was measured at different feeding conditions such as feeding interval (1, 4, 7, and 24 h), mussel size (4.2$sim$8.1 cm, n=23), prey concentration (506.7, 409.8, 327.5, 199.7 and 88.6 ${mu}g;L^{-1}$), and mussel density (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 indiv. $L^{-1}$). On the applied feeding interval, the maximum FR (0.21 L $g^{-1}h^{-1}$) and minimum feces production (FP, 0.12 mg $g^{-1}h^{-1}$) were observed at 1 and 24 hr, respectively. Both weight-based FR and FP were not correlated with the mussel size, and the values lied in a limited range with some degree of variation. Likewise, no significant relations between FR and FP were observed in the mussel size. The FR values were negatively correlated with food concentration, but positively with FP. For the food concentrations, the maximum FR (0.41 L $g^{-1}h^{-1}$) and FP (0.16 mg $g^{-1}h^{-1}$) were 88.6 ${mu}gL^{-1}$ and 327.5 ${mu}gL^{-1}$, respectively. These results indicate that U. douglasiae collected from the North Han River, although the filtering rate were slightly less than Keum River mussel, may be applied as a strategic bio-filter to mitigate cyanobacterial bloom in eutrophic lake.
