Lifespan and growth of Astarte borealis (Bivalvia) from Kandalaksha Gulf, White Sea, Russia

Abstract

Marine bivalves are well known for their impressive lifespans. Like trees, bivalves grow by accretion and record age and size throughout ontogeny in their shell. Bivalves, however, can form growth increments at several different periodicities depending on their local environment. Thus, establishing lifespans and growth rates of marine bivalves requires a proper identification of annual growth increments. Here, we use isotope sclerochronology to decipher the accretionary growth record of modern Astarte borealis from the White Sea, Russia (N 67°05.70′; E 32°40.85′). Unlike winter growth increments observed in many other cold-temperate and boreal bivalve and limpet species, prominent growth increments in A. borealis corresponded to the most negative values in the oxygen isotope (δ18O) time series indicating that they formed during summer. Furthermore, summer growth increments do not coincide with the external concentric ridges on the shell making the latter feature an unreliable indicator of age. Similar to many other polar bivalves, A. borealis shows slow growth and long life. The von Bertalanffy growth equation for our sample is Ht = 29.39*(1 − e(− 0.11(t−(− 1.86))). Lifespans of individuals examined here (n = 18) range from 16 to 48 years. Given its impressive longevity and widespread polar distribution, A. borealis may be a potentially valuable skeletal archive for monitoring environmental conditions in the Arctic Ocean and boreal seas in the face of changing climate.