A non-invasive anaesthetic method for accessing the brood chamber of the Chilean flat oyster (Ostrea chilensis)

A cost effective method to discern brooding from non-brooding specimens of the Chilean flat oyster (Ostrea chilensis Phillipi, 1844) is needed to optimise current hatchery practices for this species. Accordingly, we investigated the efficacy of two treatments, AQUI-S® and MgCl₂, in anaesthetising individuals of this species and then mapped any subsequent mortality of anaesthetised oysters. Oysters immersed for 3 h in solutions of 20, 40, 80 and 100 µL L^?1 of AQUI-S® exhibited no signs of anaesthesia and also recorded low levels of mortality (i.e. 8% or less). Conversely, oysters immersed in 30, 40 and 50 g L^?1 MgCl₂ showed between 96%–100% anaesthesia after 3 h whereas only 70% of oysters immersed in 60 g L^?1 MgCl₂ were anaesthetised over this time period. Time taken for 50% of oyster shells to open (SO₅₀) was compared among MgCl₂ treatments with oysters immersed in 60 g L^?1 taking significantly longer than (103 min) those immersed in 30–50 g L^?1 (SO₅₀ values of 43, 54 and 37 min respectively). Furthermore, treating oysters with MgCl₂ resulted in low levels of mortality (i.e. 13% or less) and was not related to MgCl₂ concentration. Thus, our results show that immersing O. chilensis in MgCl₂ to be an efficient and cost effective method to access the brood chamber of this species. We recommend the use of 30 g L^?1 for routine anaesthesia and recommend that future work investigates the efficacy of cheaper MgCl₂ sources and what effects MgCl₂ anaesthetisation has on developing larvae.     

Annual pattern of brooding and settlement in a population of the flat oyster Ostrea chilensis from central New Zealand

Temporal patterns of larval brooding and settlement were investigated in a flat oyster (Ostrea chilensis) population in Tasman Bay, central New Zealand. The proportion of the population brooding larvae and larval settlement rates were monitored over 26 months. A peak period of brooding activity began in late spring and continued through summer. Maximum rates of 17% and 23% of adult oysters brooding larvae occurred in November and December, and an estimated 55–78% of adult oysters incubated larvae over the entire summer breeding period. These proportions of brooders are higher than those previously reported for Tasman Bay. A very low level of brooding activity (1%) occurred during winter. Temporal trends in larval settlement closely tracked brooding patterns. Settlement was greatest between November and January, and there were very low rates in winter. The seasonal breeding pattern in the population was intermediate between northern and southern populations, confirming a latitudinal gradient of reproductive behaviour for O. chilensis in New Zealand. Results are useful in optimising the timing of substrate deployment in an enhancement programme for the oyster fishery.     

0#柴油水溶性成分对僧帽牡蛎DNA损伤的初步研究

在实验条件下,将僧帽牡蛎(Ostrea cucullata)分别置于含有低(0．5mg/L)、中(2mg／L)和高(5mg／L)3种浓度0^#柴油水溶性成分的海水中,利用碱解旋法测定消化腺和鳃INA损伤的程度。结果表明,INA损伤的程度随污染时间的延长而增加,并存在一定的剂量-效应关系;解除污染后,DNA损伤恢复到对照水平。DNA损伤可作为监测海洋石油污染的生物标志物。     

Spatial variability in growth and reproduction of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793) along the west European coast

The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas was introduced in Europe for commercial purposes in the mid 1960s. It was initially thought that low winter temperatures would restrain this species' reproduction and settlement; however, its present distribution in areas where no introduction has taken place suggests that natural invasion and expansion has occurred. Along the European coast, wild populations of Pacific oysters are already found from northern Germany to southern Portugal. Whether C. gigas will continue to further expand through northern waters will depend on its physiological performance. In this study, the performance of wild oyster populations has been studied in terms of growth and reproduction at three stations: La Rochelle (France; 46°N), Yerseke (Oosterschelde estuary, The Netherlands, 51°N), and Texel (Wadden Sea estuary, The Netherlands, 53°N). The French population had the lowest somatic-shell mass ratio and an increase in maximum shell length, somatic and gonadal mass was observed from France to the Netherlands. In addition, mean oocyte diameter decreased significantly from south to north. The combination of increasing gonadal mass and decreasing oocyte volume suggests an increasing reproductive output in terms of egg numbers from France to The Netherlands. Differences in temperature between locations will at least be partly responsible for the observed patterns; however, other environmental factors (such as food availability, predation pressure, sediment type and/or seston concentration) cannot be excluded. Since smaller eggs (oocytes) are thought to have a longer development time, the environmental conditions along the Dutch coast may result in increased larval dispersal and possibly in further population expansion.     

Reconstructing pre-colonial oyster demographics in the Chesapeake Bay, USA

Recent estimates of growth and mortality rates in extant Chesapeake Bay, USA oyster (Crassostrea virginica) populations are used to quantify changes in both population abundance (dN/dT) and shell accretion (dS/dT) associated with modern population demographics. The demographics of oyster populations that would be required to maintain reef accretion rates commensurate with sea level rise over geological time frames are examined using estimates of oyster longevity in pre-colonial (pre -1600) times combined with parallel estimates of pre-disease endemic mortality. The analysis demonstrates that modern populations, with their disease related, age-truncated demographics, are generally not capable of maintaining and building biogenic reefs through accretion. Estimates of filtration rates associated with Chesapeake Bay oyster populations prior to 1600 considerably underestimate actual benthic-pelagic coupling during that period. Pristine oyster populations would have supported water column turnover rates on the order of minutes to hours. Thus, the spatial footprint of oyster reefs was limited by available productivity in the estuary. Accretion rate calculations for pristine (pre-1600) oyster reefs describe the intimate relationship between benthic-pelagic coupling and the presence or absence of oyster reefs and the associated communities.     

Evidence of Ostrea lurida Carpenter, 1864, population structure in Puget Sound,WA, USA

Species traits that carry adaptive advantages such as reproductive timing and stress resilience may differ among populations. Knowledge and consideration of these traits should, therefore, be integrated into conservation efforts that include long‐term persistence of species. To test for adaptive differences between Olympia oyster, Ostrea lurida, populations a reciprocal transplant experiment was carried out monitoring survival, growth and reproduction using three established populations of O. lurida within Puget Sound, WA, USA. Performance differed for each population. Ostrea lurida from Dabob Bay had the highest survival at all sites but the lowest reproductive activity and growth. Oysters from Oyster Bay demonstrated the greatest proportion of brooding females at a majority of sites with moderate growth and survival. Together these data suggest the existence of O. lurida population structure within Puget Sound and provide information on how broodstock should be selected for restoration purposes.     

牡蜗综合利用的研究进展

牡蛎是中国著名而常见的贝类，属于软体动物门(Mollusea)，瓣鳃纲(Lanellibranchia)，异柱目(Anisomyaria)，牡蛎科(Ostreidae)。粤、闽称蚝或蚵，江、浙称蛎黄，山东以北称蛎子或海蛎子。     

Occurrence of the Japanese oyster,Crassostrea Gigas (thunberg), in northland,New Zealand

Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg), the Japanese oyster, is recorded for the first time in New Zealand. This exotic species may have been introduced accidentally.     

Zinc concentration effect at the organismal,cellular and subcellular levels in the eastern oyster

The purpose of this research was to demonstrate a concentration effect of zinc exposure at organismal, cellular and sub-cellular levels in the eastern oyster and to find associated protein expression signatures (PES) for each concentration of zinc. Oysters were exposed to six concentrations of zinc for 48 h in a controlled environment. At the organismal level, fecal material was observed as a measure of physiological health during metal exposures. At the cellular level, lysosomal destabilization was measured using hemolymph. This cellular response was significant only at the highest concentration, when the fecal index was lowest. Protein responses were monitored in the oyster following exposure to zinc. Gill tissue was excised and homogenized, and then analyzed using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and digital image analysis. Protein expression signatures were found to be specific to each concentration. The protein responses were linked to the other biological parameters measured, each of which followed a concentration gradient of zinc.     

福建牡蛎养殖业的现状、问题与对策

牡蛎属软体动物门（Mollusca）、双壳纲（Bivalvia）、珍珠贝目（Pterioida）,牡蛎科（Ostreidae）,是一种重要的海洋生物资源。其肉味鲜美,营养价值较高,素有“海中牛奶”之美称。牡蛎地理分布广、生长快、产量高,具有很高的经济价值,     

福建太平洋牡蛎种群微卫星DNA分析

本文采用Ucdcg153、157、202微卫星引物对福建两个太平洋牡蛎(学名为长牡蛎Crassostrea gigas)养殖种群进行扩增分析和序列测定.与采自漳浦旧镇的近江牡蛎(C. ariakensis)比较,前者对以上三种引物全部呈阳性反应,后者只对Ucdcg157显阳性.与Genebank提供的相关序列比较,福建太平洋牡蛎与Genebank样品应属同源,其中漳浦霞美和厦门白礁的样品则可能代表同一种群的两个衍生品系.本项调查结果同时显示,近亲繁殖的育苗方式已经导致福建太平洋牡蛎种群裂化;任其发展不利于维护良种优势.本次采集的样品中未发现显示葡萄牙牡蛎、熊本牡蛎和美洲牡蛎微卫星特征的个体.     

Geomorphology and sediment dynamics of the Liyashan oyster reefs,Jiangsu Coast,China

Oyster reefs and their spatial patterns are deemed to change the local hydrodynamic condition and exert profound impacts on the grain size, concentration and transportation of suspended sediments. Meanwhile, high suspended sediment concentration often results in excess mortality among oysters. Oyster reefs are rare and vital ecosystem in Liyashan national marine park, Jiangsu Coast, China. However, urgent conservation efforts should be made on account of the drastic reduction in reef areas. To investigate the sediment dynamics and the geomorphology, two tripod observation systems were deployed and UAV aerial surveys with elevation measurement using Real Time Kinematic (RTK) were also carried out. High mud content (60%) was found in the bed sediment at the reef ridge, causing much lower drag coefficient than other recorded values of living oyster reefs, indicating the death of oysters and the degradation of reefs in Liyashan. Ridgelines of the string reefs at 45° to the current direction and high suspended sediment concentration in the water body (50–370 mg/L) that exceeds the threshold (200 mg/L), which would affect nutrient uptake efficiency and further result in gill saturation, decrease of clearance rate and associated deposition, were probably crucial causes of the death of oysters. The findings are useful for restoring natural oyster reefs and designing artificial reefs for nature-based coastal defense.     

杭州湾庵东浅滩地貌演变规律

杭州湾南岸庵东浅潍的地貌演变具有长周期、多年周期和年周期变化。浅滩舌部的进退、摆动,以及滩面高程和潮沟系统的变动,是周期性演变的主要表现。地貌过程各控制因素通过杭州湾湾口和湾顶两个高混浊带提供的输沙通道,以及浅滩输沙结构的调整,间接或直接影响浅滩的演变,出现各个层次的动力-地貌响应关系。其中长周期和多年周期响应与长江及钱塘江两河口系统的调整有关,枯水条件下河口系统上移,庵东浅滩供沙不足;丰水条件下,两输沙通道会于庵东浅滩,促进了浅滩的淤涨。在年周期的小尺度演变中,波浪条件具有重要的影响。