Investigating how pea crabs affect supermarket mussels

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In this activity, students observe green-lipped mussels to determine the impact of pea crab infestation on their size and weight¹.

Purpose

This activity will enable students to identify key characteristics of two native² New Zealand animals and to understand their parasite-host relationship more clearly. It provides opportunities to consider how green-lipped mussels are farmed in New Zealand and how threats to the industry (such as pea crabs) impact on New Zealand’s economy.

Keywords

Green-lipped mussel, pea crab, dissection, parasite³

Investigating how pea crabs affect supermarket mussels (word : 1.3 MB)

weight: Force due to gravity acting on an object, measured in newtons.
native: A species that lives naturally in a country, as opposed to species that have been introduced by the activity of humans.
parasite: An organism that lives in or on another organism. Parasites usually cause harm to their host organism.