About the Project
Through an iterative process with Tijuana River NERR and other users, this project co-developed a biosensor system that uses shellfish (oysters and mussels) as biosentinels. Alongside land managers and other wetland and aquaculture professionals, the team designed an open-source electronic sensor that attaches to shellfish and monitors gaping behavior and heart rate. The resulting data provides a direct metric of biotic stress. The team deployed this technology in three field locations in San Diego. The biosentinels provided real-time data streams associated with a variety of changing water quality conditions, including frequent salinity and oxygen fluctuations in Tijuana River Estuary and mouth closure events in Los Peñasquitos Lagoon.
About this Resource
This project generated nine datasets from field sampling at estuary locations in San Diego County, including the Tijuana River Estuary, Los Peñasquitos Lagoon, and San Diego Bay. The dataset description provides more information about each dataset. All datasets are available at Zenodo.
Tijuana River mussel shell gape data 2025-02 to 2025-04:
Records of shell opening and closing behavior for Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels deployed on a mooring in Tijuana River Estuary.
Tijuana River mussel heart rate estimates 2025-02 to 2025-04
Heart rate estimates for Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels deployed on a mooring in Tijuana River Estuary.
Dissolved oxygen data for Tijuana River Estuary Boca Rio site, 2025-02 to 2025-04
Dissolved oxygen and temperature data collected from a surface mooring and near-bottom mooring in the Tijuana River Estuary.
FLUPSY bivalve heart rate data, San Diego Bay, 2024-01 to 2024-12
Estimates of heart rate for Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels and Magallana [Crassostrea] gigas oysters deployed in San Diego Bay.
FLUPSY bivalve shell gape data, San Diego Bay, 2024-01 to 2024-12
Estimates of shell opening and closing for Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels and Magallana [Crassostrea] gigas oysters deployed in San Diego Bay.
FLUPSY dissolved oxygen and temperature data, 2024-01 to 2025-04
Dissolved oxygen and water temperature data for two depths in Tuna Harbor, San Diego Bay.
Los Peñasquitos Lagoon bivalve heart rate estimates 2024-10 to 2025-05
Estimates of heart rate for Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels and Magallana [Crassostrea] gigas oysters deployed in Los Peñasquitos Lagoon, San Diego.
Los Peñasquitos Lagoon bivalve shell gape data 2024-10 to 2025-05
Estimates of shell opening for Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels and Magallana [Crassostrea] gigas oysters deployed in Los Peñasquitos Lagoon, San Diego.
Los Peñasquitos Lagoon bivalve shell gape data 2023-02 to 2024-01
Estimates of shell opening for Magallana [Crassostrea] gigas oysters deployed in Los Peñasquitos Lagoon, San Diego.
Questions about these datasets can be directed to:
Luke Miller, San Diego State University, [email protected]