Search results for "Bivalve"

Parasites in sympatric populations of native and invasive freshwater bivalves

2021

An increasing threat to local, native freshwater mussels (Unionida)—an ecologically important but globally alarmingly declining group— is the invasion by exotic bivalves. The Enemy Release Hypothesis predicts that introduced species should benefit from enemy-mediated competition because they are less likely to be harmed by natural enemies, such as parasites, than their native competitors. We investigated within-site differences in parasitism between sympatric native (tot. five spp.) and invasive (tot. three spp.) bivalves in eight northern European waterbodies, which harboured totally 15 parasite taxa. In paired comparisons using within-site averages, the mean number of parasite species in …

Increased Parasite Abundance Associated with Reproductive Maturity of the Clam Anodonta piscinalis

1999

Several studies on vertebrates have demonstrated that reproductive activities may increase the parasite load, but this has not been shown in invertebrate hosts. We studied abundance of a potentially harmful gill parasite, the ergasilid copepod Paraergasilus rylovi, from the freshwater bivalve host Anodonta piscinalis in relation to reproductive maturity of the host in the field. Prevalence of this previously unstudied parasite varied from 90 to 100%, and the mean parasite abundance from 16.3 to 28.8 among 3 study populations. Abundance of P. rylovi increased with host size. In the maturating age groups (3-5 yr) the length-adjusted mean parasite abundance among mature, reproducing female cla…

Potential and limitation of combining terrestrial and marine growth records from Iceland

2017

Abstract Seasonally formed, perennial growth increments of various organisms may possibly contain information about past environmental changes, well before instrumental measurements occurred. Such annually resolved proxy records have been mainly obtained from terrestrial archives, with a paucity of similar data originating from marine habitats. Iceland represents ideal conditions to develop both, tree ring (dendro) and bivalve shell (sclero) chronologies from adjacent sites. Here we introduce the first network of Icelandic birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) and rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) dendrochronologies, as well as ocean quahog (Arctica islandica L.) sclerochronologies. In order to identify th…

Ultrastructure of the Interlamellar Membranes of the Nacre of the Bivalve Pteria hirundo, Determined by Immunolabelling.

2015

The current model for the ultrastructure of the interlamellar membranes of molluscan nacre imply that they consist of a core of aligned chitin fibers surrounded on both sides by acidic proteins. This model was based on observations taken on previously demineralized shells, where the original structure had disappeared. Despite other earlier claims, no direct observations exist in which the different components can be unequivocally discriminated. We have applied different labeling protocols on non-demineralized nacreous shells of the bivalve Pteria. With this method, we have revealed the disposition and nature of the different fibers of the interlamellar membranes that can be observed on the …

Manganese speciation inDiplodon chilensis patagonicusshells: a XANES study

2009

X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) at the Mn K-edge was used to investigate the environment of Mn in situ within the growth increments of the long-lived freshwater bivalve species Diplodon chilensis patagonicus. Single XANES spectra and Mn Kalpha fluorescence distributions were acquired at submillimetre resolution (up to 100 microm x 50 microm), at Mn concentrations below the weight percent range (100-1000 microg g(-1)) in a high Ca matrix. The position and intensity of the pre-edge feature in the shell spectrum resembles best that of the Mn(II)-bearing reference compounds, suggesting that this is the oxidation state of Mn in the bivalve shells. By comparison with the XANES spe…

Mechanistic bioenergetics models to link functional traits to population dynamics: a study case with a marine bivalve

2013

Contrasting shell growth strategies in two Mediterranean bivalves revealed by oxygen-isotope ratio geochemistry: The case of Pecten jacobaeus and Gly…

2019

International audience; High-resolution stable-isotope ratio data (delta O-18, delta O-18) were used to study growth strategies of two bivalve species, Pecten jacobaeus (calcitic shell) and Glycymeris pilosa (aragonitic shell) from the North Adriatic Sea. The principal objectives of this study were to identify the period of the year when the growth line is formed in the shell of two target species, to identify the main growing season of these two species, to identify the environmental drivers of shell growth, and to evaluate the potential applicability of delta O-18 and delta O-18 values for the reconstruction of environmental variability. Samples were collected from the North Adriatic Sea …

Utilization of muddy detritus as organic matter source by the fan mussel Pinna nobilis.

2014

The knowledge of the feeding habits in marine species is fundamental to better understand their relationship with the environment. Although phytoplankton has been traditionally reported as the main food source consumed by the Mediterranean fan mussel Pinna nobilis, recent studies have revealed that detritus represents an important food source for this species. We analysed the degree of acceptance of muddy detritus and the utilisation of its organic matter (OM) by P. nobilis on a group of 21 individuals (30.3-59.7 cm of total shell height (Ht)). The specimens were collected between July and September 2012 in two areas (43°04´25” N; 5°46´7” E and 43°04´34” N; 5°47´32” E) of the Embiez archipe…

The carrying capacity for Mediterranean bivalve suspension feeders: evidence from analysis of food availability and hydrodynamics and their integrati…

2004

Abstract In order to assess the carrying capacity of two Mediterranean areas, the Incze et al. model and its modification were applied. Our measures were carried out in the Gulf of Gaeta (Central MED), where mussels ( Mytilus galloprovincialis ) are intensively cultivated (production of approximately 200 t per year) and the Gulf of Castellammare (Southern MED), where bivalve culture is not widely practised. Velocities of water current and in field filtration rates were measured in each area. Total suspended matter (TSM), suspended chlorophyll-a (CHLa), lipid, protein and carbohydrate concentrations in the particulate were measured seasonally and used as tools to evaluate the trophic status …

Trace and minor element records in aragonitic bivalve shells as environmental proxies

2019

Abstract Investigation of the geochemical composition of bivalve shells can provide information on changes in the marine environment occurring during the lifespan of an organism. Three species, locally abundant in the Adriatic Sea, were chosen in this study, namely Glycymeris pilosa, Callista chione, and Venus verrucosa. Of these, G. pilosa has the longest lifespan, exceeding 50 years, and therefore presents a potential archive of decadal climate variability. The other two species, C. chione and V. verrucosa, are commercially important. Samples were collected alive by SCUBA diving in the North Adriatic Sea, near Barbariga, Istria. Major growth increments in these shells form on an annual ba…