Abstract
MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 430:35-48 (2011) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09111 Effects of toxic Alexandrium tamarense on behavior, hemocyte responses and development of brown ring disease in Manila clams V. M. Bricelj1,*, Susan E. Ford2, Christophe Lambert3, Annaick Barbou3, Christine Paillard3 1Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, USA 2Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, Rutgers University, Port Norris, New Jersey 08349, USA 3Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, LEMAR, Technopôle Brest Iroise, 29280 Plouzané, France *Email: mbricelj@marine.rutgers.edu ABSTRACT: In this study of short-term exposure of Ruditapes philippinarum from Brittany, France, to an Alexandrium tamarense isolate that produces high concentrations of paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs), the effects of the isolate on clam fitness, toxin uptake, and the response of hemocytes (responsible for internal defense in bivalves) were examined. Adults exhibited individual variability in resistance to the effects of PSTs, measured by their burrowing capacity. If genetically based, this may (1) indicate that resistance is under natural selection and (2) provide a new model to advance our understanding of the molecular basis for PST resistance in bivalves, so far determined only in Mya arenaria. Juvenile clams were more vulnerable to PSTs than adults, experiencing 100% burrowing incapacitation within 1 d of exposure to A. tamarense. They also experienced growth suppression and high mortalities following 4 d of toxification. Juveniles challenged with Vibrio tapetis, the cause of brown ring disease (BRD), and exposed to A. tamarense, developed significantly fewer BRD symptoms relative to controls fed non-toxic algae, but suffered higher mortality. Adult clams exposed to A. tamarense showed a significant increase in hemocyte concentrations and a small, but significant, decrease in phagocytic activity, and no effect on hemocyte viability or other functional parameters. We speculate that the inhibitory effects on BRD progression may be attributable to toxicity of PSTs to V. tapetis, inability of juveniles to activate the shell conchiolin-deposition response, and/or an overall increase in phagocytic cells induced by A. tamarense. Harmful algae and pathogens may thus interact and modulate the effects of disease in bivalve populations. KEY WORDS: Ruditapes philippinarum · Paralytic shellfish toxins · Vibrio · Burrowing · Hemocytes Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Bricelj VM, Ford SE, Lambert C, Barbou A, Paillard C (2011) Effects of toxic Alexandrium tamarense on behavior, hemocyte responses and development of brown ring disease in Manila clams. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 430:35-48. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09111 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 430. Online publication date: May 26, 2011 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2011 Inter-Research.
Highlights
IntroductionThe Atlantic coast of France has been affected since the late 1980s by blooms of the paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) producer Alexandrium minutum, especially along the NW coast of Brittany
The Japanese littleneck or Manila clam Venerupis (= Ruditapes = Tapes) philippinarum (Adams & Reeves, 1850), a native of the western Pacific, is a major commercial species worldwide, especially in Canada, the USA, France, the north Adriatic lagoons in Italy, Great Britain, Japan, China, and South Korea (Goulletquer 1997)
Burrowing incapacitation within ≤1 d of toxin exposure was observed in both juveniles and adults, but the percentage of affected clams was greater among the former and incapacitation occurred sooner even though they were exposed to one-half the A. tamarense concentration and a 36% lower mean cell toxicity
Summary
The Atlantic coast of France has been affected since the late 1980s by blooms of the paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) producer Alexandrium minutum, especially along the NW coast of Brittany Prior studies on laboratory exposure of Manila clams to PST-producing Alexandrium spp. have been limited to the use of very low-toxicity strains, including an A. tamarense isolate from the South China Sea characterized by the predominance of low-potency N-sulfocarbamoyl toxins (toxicity = 3.2 pg saxitoxin equivalents [STXeq] cell–1) (Li & Wang 2001, Li et al 2002), an A. minutum isolate from Morlaix Bay, Brittany (2.4 pg STXeq cell–1) (Bougrier et al 2001) that produces almost exclusively gonyautoxins (GTXs) (Lassus et al 1994), and an A. catenella isolate from the Thau Lagoon (5 to 15 pg STXeq cell–1) (Hégaret et al 2007a)
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