Does an Invasive Bivalve Outperform Its Native Congener in a Heat Wave Scenario? A Laboratory Study Case with Ruditapes decussatus and R. philippinarum

Global warming and the subsequent increase in the frequency of temperature anomalies are expected to affect marine and estuarine species’ population dynamics, latitudinal distribution, and fitness, allowing non-native opportunistic species to invade and thrive in new geographical areas. Bivalves represent a significant percentage of the benthic biomass in marine ecosystems worldwide, often with commercial interest, while mediating fundamental ecological processes. To understand how these temperature anomalies contribute to the success (or not) of biological invasions, two closely related species, the native Ruditapes decussatus and the introduced R. philippinarum, were exposed to a simulated heat wave. Organisms of both species were exposed to mean summer temperature (~18 °C) for 6 days, followed by 6 days of simulated heat wave conditions (~22 °C). Both species were analysed for key ecological processes such as bioturbation and nutrient generation—which are significant proxies for benthic function and habitat quality—and subcellular biomarkers—oxidative stress and damage, and energetic metabolism. Results showed subcellular responses to heat waves. However, such responses were not expressed at the addressed ecological levels. The subcellular responses to the heat wave in the invasive R. philippinarum pinpoint less damage and higher cellular energy allocation to cope with thermal stress, which may further improve its fitness and thus invasiveness behaviour.

Does Thermal Stress Modulate the Biochemical and Physiological Responses of Ruditapes Decussatus Exposed to the Progestin Levonorgestrel?

The combined effects of the abiotic factors such as temperature and synthetic progestins on the biochemical and physiological performances of marine clam Ruditapes decssatus under sub-chronic conditions are poorly studied. Here, we investigated the effects of levonorgestrel (1000 ng/l) alone or combined with increasing temperature of 20, 24 and 28°C on the biochemical and physiological responses and the gonad histology of the clam (Ruditapes decussatus) for 28 days. Our results revealed that, in clams treated with levonorgestrel (LNG) alone, there was an impairment of the defense against oxidative stress related to the inductions of CAT, GST and PSH, a reduction in the lysosomal membrane stability, a physiological disturbance via an increase in the level of estradiol, a decrease in the number of gonad oocytes and a reduction in vitellogenin like protein. Furthermore, exposure to heat stress of 20°C, 24°C and 28°C, alone or in combination with LNG, enhanced SOD antioxidant activity which was ineffective in preventing lipoperoxidation and altered clam’s physiological processes of reproduction via dramatic reduction of gonad oocyte numbers and of vitellogenin like protein reserves. Overall, these findings can be taken as a warning sign of temperature and levonorgestrel progestin effect that can lead to effective changes in the structure and function of target vital organs, such as the gonads of the clam Ruditapes decussatus, and this may have implications for the whole organism and populations.

Study the effect of low pH on Ruditapes decussatus (Mollusca: Bivalvia)

The grooved carpet shell clam (Ruditapes decussatus) is one of the most economically essential mollusks in Mediterranean lagoons and sandy beaches, with fisheries and aquaculture both contributing to its abundance. The goal of this research is to see how varying amounts of acidity affect this calcifying organism. 420 ppm (ambient control), 550 ppm, 750 ppm, and 1050 ppm were used to incubate juvenile clams in CO2 enriched saltwater. With increasing pCO2 , the biological parameters evaluated revealed a small decline. Differences, however, were not substantial. In terms of overall weight, the reduction was greatest at 550 and 1050 ppm. Furthermore, clams kept at 550 parts per million had the lowest condition index and the greatest mortality rate of 8%. Both the 550 ppm and the control 420 ppm groups demonstrated an increase in metabolic rate and ammonia excretion in the physiological response testing. With increasing acidification, the algal feed clearance rate declined, with the highest average value in the control (420 ppm) group and the lowest average value in the extremely high pCO2 (1050 ppm) group. Ocean acidification may put further strain on R. decussatus' health and economic value by the end of the century

Metataxonomic analysis of tissue-associated microbiota in grooved carpet-shell (Ruditapes decussatus) and Manila (Ruditapes philippinarum) clams

Culture-dependent techniques only permit the study of a low percentage of the microbiota diversity in the environment. The introduction of next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies shed light into this hidden microbial world, providing a better knowledge on the general microbiota and, specifically, on the microbial populations of clams. Tissue-associated microbiota of Ruditapes decussatus and Ruditapes philippinarum (mantle, gills, gonad and hepatopancreas) was analysed in two different locations of Galicia (northwest of Spain) during Spring (April) and Autumn (October), employing a metataxonomic approach. High bacterial diversity and richness were found in all samples where a total of 22,044 OTUs were obtained. In most samples, phylum Proteobacteria was most frequently retrieved, although other phyla as Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Tenericutes, Firmicutes or Chlamydiae also appeared at high relative abundances in the samples. At genus level, great variation was found across tissues and sampling periods. A Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) and a hierarchical clustering analysis allowed to further analyse the factors responsible for the differences among groups of samples in the different sites. Results showed sample ordination based on tissue origin and sampling periods, pointing out that the microbiota was influenced by these factors. Indeed, predominance of certain genera was observed, such as Endozoicomonas or Methylobacterium in gills and gonads, respectively, suggesting that selection of specific bacterial taxa is likely to occur. So far, this study provided a general picture of the tissue associated microbial population structure in R. decussatus and R. philippinarum clams, which, ultimately, allowed the identification of specific tissue-related taxa.

Assessing the Bacterial Community Composition of Bivalve Mollusks Collected in Aquaculture Farms and Respective Susceptibility to Antibiotics

Aquaculture is a growing sector, providing several products for human consumption, and it is therefore important to guarantee its quality and safety. This study aimed to contribute to the knowledge of bacterial composition of Crassostrea gigas, Mytilus spp. and Ruditapes decussatus, and the antibiotic resistances/resistance genes present in aquaculture environments. Two hundred and twenty-two bacterial strains were recovered from all bivalve mollusks samples belonging to the Aeromonadaceae, Bacillaceae, Comamonadaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcaceae, Micrococcaceae, Moraxellaceae, Morganellaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Shewanellaceae, Staphylococcaceae, Streptococcaceae, Vibrionaceae, and Yersiniaceae families. Decreased susceptibility to oxytetracycline prevails in all bivalve species, aquaculture farms and seasons. Decreased susceptibilities to amoxicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, cefotaxime, cefoxitin, ceftazidime, chloramphenicol, florfenicol, colistin, ciprofloxacin, flumequine, nalidixic acid and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole were also found. This study detected six qnrA genes among Shewanella algae, ten qnrB genes among Citrobacter spp. and Escherichia coli, three oqxAB genes from Raoultella ornithinolytica and blaTEM-1 in eight E. coli strains harboring a qnrB19 gene. Our results suggest that the bacteria and antibiotic resistances/resistance genes present in bivalve mollusks depend on several factors, such as host species and respective life stage, bacterial family, farm’s location and season, and that is important to study each aquaculture farm individually to implement the most suitable measures to prevent outbreaks.