Monitoring nearshore ecosystem health using Pacific razor clams (Siliqua patula) as an indicator species.

Lizabeth Bowen,Heather Coletti,Tuula Hollmen,Katrina L Counihan,Brenda Ballachey,Benjamin Pister,Tammy L Wilson

doi:10.7717/peerj.8761

Abstract

An emerging approach to ecosystem monitoring involves the use of physiological biomarker analyses in combination with gene transcription assays. For the first time, we employed these tools to evaluate the Pacific razor clam (Siliqua patula), which is important both economically and ecologically, as a bioindicator species in the northeast Pacific. Our objectives were to (1) develop biomarker and gene transcription assays with which to monitor the health of the Pacific razor clam, (2) acquire baseline biomarker and gene transcription reference ranges for razor clams, (3) assess the relationship between physiological and gene transcription assays and (4) determine if site-level differences were present. Pacific razor clams were collected in July 2015 and 2016 at three sites within each of two national parks in southcentral Alaska. In addition to determining reference ranges, we found differences in biomarker assay and gene transcription results between parks and sites which indicate variation in both large-scale and local environmental conditions. Our intent is to employ these methods to evaluate Pacific razor clams as a bioindicator of nearshore ecosystem health. Links between the results of the biomarker and gene transcription assays were observed that support the applicability of both assays in ecosystem monitoring. However, we recognize the need for controlled studies to examine the range of responses in physiology and gene transcripts to different stressors.

Highlights

Nearshore marine habitats worldwide are facing unprecedented challenges due to expanded commercial and industrial development, resource extraction and environmentalHow to cite this article Bowen L, Counihan KL, Ballachey B, Coletti H, Hollmen T, Pister B, Wilson TL. 2020
We hypothesized that biomarker and gene transcription assays on Pacific razor clams would provide complementary results, with no significant differences detected among sites considered to be relatively pristine
Site-specific medians and ranges for the biomarker and gene transcription assays during each year are provided as Supplemental Material (Tables S1 and S2)

Summary

Introduction

Nearshore marine habitats worldwide are facing unprecedented challenges due to expanded commercial and industrial development, resource extraction and environmentalHow to cite this article Bowen L, Counihan KL, Ballachey B, Coletti H, Hollmen T, Pister B, Wilson TL. 2020. Nearshore areas in Alaska may have had fewer direct effects due to their remote nature and inaccessibility, they are subject to impacts associated with a warming climate and potential effects of oil and gas development, tourism and harvest of marine resources. Alterations associated with climate change, including increased temperatures, have already been noted in Alaska marine waters (Di Lorenzo & Mantua, 2016), and continuing alterations, such as acidification (Qi et al, 2017), are anticipated. Commercial and industrial developments in the Alaska nearshore, including oil and gas extraction, are increasing, with the potential to contribute contaminants to the environment that can damage coastal resources. A primary lesson from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill is that low levels of hydrocarbons persisting in the environment can have a long-lasting effect on survival of exposed species (Ballachey et al, 2014; Esler et al, 2017)

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