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Although all scallops swim using their adductor muscle to close their valves, scallop species differ considerably in how they use their muscle during escape responses, in parallel with the striking interspecific differences in shell morphology. This provides an excellent opportunity to study links between muscle metabolic capacities and animal performance. We found that the capacity for anaerobic glycolysis and aerobic metabolism, as well as phosphoarginine levels in the phasic adductor muscle, differ with escape response strategy. Phosphoarginine contents were high in species that rely on phasic contractions (Amusium balloti, Placopecten magellanicus, and Pecten fumatus). Arginine kinase activities reflect reliance on rapid initial bursts of phasic contractions. Scallops that maintain their valves in a closed position for prolonged periods (P. fumatus, Mimachlamys asperrima, and Crassadoma gigantea) have high activities of enzymes of anaerobic glycolysis in their phasic adductor muscle. Myosin ATPase activity was lower in the nonswimming scallop, C. gigantea, than in swimming scallops. The different patterns and roles of swimming are reflected in interspecific differences in the biochemical attributes of the phasic adductor muscle. These patterns suggest coevolution of muscle metabolic capacities, patterns of adductor muscle use, and shell morphology in scallops.

The simple locomotor system of scallops facilitates the study of muscle use during locomotion. We compared five species of scallops with different shell morphologies to see whether shell morphology and muscle use change in parallel or whether muscle use can compensate for morphological constraints. Force recordings during escape responses revealed that the use of tonic and phasic contractions varied markedly among species. The active species, Amusium balloti, Placopecten magellanicus and Pecten fumatus, made more phasic contractions than the more sedentary species, Mimachlamys asperrima and Crassadoma gigantea. Tonic contractions varied considerably among these species, with the two more sedentary species often starting their response to the predator with a tonic contraction and the more active species using shorter tonic contractions between series of phasic contractions. Placopecten magellanicus made extensive use of short tonic contractions. Pecten fumatus mounted an intense series of phasic contractions at the start of its response, perhaps to overcome the constraints of its unfavourable shell morphology. Valve closure by the more sedentary species suggests that their shell morphology protects them against predation, whereas swimming by the more active species relies upon intense phasic contractions together with favourable shell characteristics.

The dramatic escape response of some scallops is modified by reproductive investment and by acclimation temperature. Despite considerable knowledge of the physiology of the escape response, functional links between escape response performance, organismal rates of oxygen uptake, and tissue metabolic capacities are little known. We measured oxygen consumption rates (standard, maximal, and aerobic scope), escape behavior (initial and repeat performance), tissue mass, condition index, protein content, and tissue metabolic capacities in the Iceland scallop Chlamys islandica to examine links between these parameters. Postexercise oxygen consumption rates were positively linked to contraction rate (repeat test) and to pyruvate kinase activity in the adductor muscle but negatively linked to digestive gland wet mass. Swimming behavior was mainly related to activity of glycolytic enzymes, and enzymatic activities were related to anatomic parameters. Scallop behavior and physiology change with size, both within our samples and on a larger scale. Small scallops showed more intense swimming activity and had higher arginine kinase activities but lower glycolytic enzyme activities in their adductor muscle than larger scallops. This corresponds to the ontogenetic change in susceptibility to predation and in habitat use observed in C. islandica.