# Comparative Tissue Responses of Marine Mollusks on Seasonal Changes in the Northern Adriatic Sea
## 3 Results  
The biometric data of sampled ormers and scallops (soft body mass, shell length, shell mass) are presented in Table 2.  
The analysis of variance for each organism over seasons established significant differences between analytes and seasons. For Mediterranean scallops in particular, TAS was elevated in winter in relation to other seasons, while SOD and GPx had significantly higher activities in the spring/summer period. TBARS, on the other hand, had its peak in winter, while in the other months stayed at relatively low levels. TRIG concentrations were significantly higher in fall, and CHOL in fall and winter. GLU concentrations, albeit uniform over the year, were elevated in fall. Mg and Ca showed the highest concentrations \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l l l l l l} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Green Ormer**} & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**Mediterranean Scallop**} \\ \cline{2-7}  & **Fall** & **Winter** & **Spring/Summer Fall** & **Winter** & **Spring/Summer** \\ \hline Soft body mass (g) & 17.27 \(\pm\) 7.32 & 12.58 \(\pm\) 6.70 & 12.94 \(\pm\) 8.96 & 21.12 \(\pm\) 2.55 & 23.17 \(\pm\) 2.80 & 38.00 \(\pm\) 8.24 \\ Shell length (mm) & 41.70 \(\pm\) 6.99 & 41.63 \(\pm\) 7.54 & 41.71 \(\pm\) 7.70 & 96.84 \(\pm\) 9.66 & 102.96 \(\pm\) 5.12 & 113.93 \(\pm\) 7.84 \\ Shell mass (g) & 4.88 \(\pm\) 2.38 & 3.99 \(\pm\) 2.28 & 4.79 \(\pm\) 2.35 & 85.41 \(\pm\) 26.39 & 92.32 \(\pm\) 10.19 & 97.67 \(\pm\) 26.48 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Green ormer (_Haliotis tuberculata_ L.) and Mediterranean scallop (_Pecten jacobaeus_ L.) soft body mass, shell length (dorso-ventral axis) and mass (mean \(\pm\) SD). in fall and winter when compared to other time points. For green ormers, significant differences were found between spring/summer and winter samples for TAS, with peaks in June. GPx had the highest activities in fall samples, just as SOD, CHOL, GLU, TRIG, Mg and Ca parameters. Differences in tissue biochemical and antioxidant defense properties between Mediterranean scallops and green ormers within each season are presented in Table 3.  
Data are also presented in Figure 1 as a log10-based scale, showing the distribution, its central value and variability. Both organisms had similar trends in measured parameters over the seasons, generally with a greater distribution of data in scallop tissues, except in fall. In winter, only GLU in ormers had a greater data distribution. Data were grouped tightly in ormer tissues in spring/summer and winter (except for GLU), having unsymmetrical interquartile ranges. Significant differences between the two organisms were found for SOD and GPx in spring/summer, for SOD and TAS in fall, and for TAS, Mg and TBARS in winter. Gonadal stages of scallops and green ormers, according to seasonal cycles, are presented in Figure 2A,C,E and Figure 3A,C,E. Both species showed season-induced variation in the occurrence of different gonadal stages. During the winter, in scallops, the ripe stage and partially spawned stage were recorded in 20% and 80% of the investigated specimens, respectively. However, the occurrence of both of these stages in a sample was 80% of the total specimens examined in spring/summer, while in the fall season, the majority of gonads were at the stage of gradual maturing (Figure 4A). During the spring/summer season, gonads were at the mid-maturation stage in ormers, and in fall, the ripe and spawned stages were recorded (Figure 4B). Histological sections presented in Figure 2B,D,F and Figure 3B,D,F show ducts of the digestive gland (hepatopancreas) of both organisms. When comparing the two species, differences in the size and number of lipid vacuoles accumulated in tubuloacinr terminations were observed, whereas larger vacuoles were seen in the scallop digestive gland in all seasons.