Chronic fluoxetine exposure alters movement and burrowing in adult freshwater mussels

•Fluoxetine induced disruption in movement and burrowing of freshwater mussels.•67-d exposure and observation with exposure validation.•Comprehensive study of ecologically relevant endpoints.•Further evidence mollusks are exceptionally sensitive to SSRI drugs. The antidepressant fluoxetine is commonly found in aquatic fauna living near or downstream from point-sources of municipal waste effluent. Continuous release of fluoxetine results in increased effective exposure duration in surface waters, resulting in a chronic exposure for animals downstream, particularly in effluent dominated ecosystems. Fluoxetine is known to cause disruptions in reproductive behavior of freshwater mussels (order Unionoida), including stimulating release of gametes, parturition of glochidia (larvae), and changes in lure display and foot protrusion. However, the ecological relevance of these effects at environmental concentrations is unknown. We conducted a 67-d exposure of adult Lampsilis fasciola to fluoxetine concentrations of 0, 0.5, 2.5, and 22.3μg/L and assessed impacts on behavior (lateral movement, burrowing, and filtering) and metabolism (glycogen storage and respiration). Mussels treated with 2.5 and 22.3μg/L fluoxetine displayed mantle lures significantly (p