Abstract
In this study, we analyzed the combined effect of microalgal concentration and temperature on the shell growth of the bivalve Pinctada margaritifera and the molecular mechanisms underlying this biomineralization process. Shell growth was measured after two months of rearing in experimental conditions, using calcein staining of the calcified structures. Molecular mechanisms were studied though the expression of 11 genes encoding proteins implicated in the biomineralization process, which was assessed in the mantle. We showed that shell growth is influenced by both microalgal concentration and temperature, and that these environmental factors also regulate the expression of most of the genes studied. Gene expression measurement of shell matrix protein thereby appears to be an appropriate indicator for the evaluation of the biomineralization activity in the pearl oyster P. margaritifera under varying environmental conditions. This study provides valuable information on the molecular mechanisms of mollusk shell growth and its environmental control.
Highlights
The development of marine tropical mollusks through their life cycle depends on variations in water temperature and food availability
Shell deposit rate (SDR) measurement was made using calcein marking in order to analyze the combined effect of environmental conditions on shell growth
Food level had a significant effect (F = 233.96, p, 0.0001) and the Tukey test showed that SDRHF.SDRLF
Summary
The development of marine tropical mollusks through their life cycle depends on variations in water temperature and food availability. Many studies have shown that food and temperature play an essential role in somatic and shell growth [1,2,3,4]. The trophic environment has been shown to act on growth even if the environment is considered as oligotrophic [9]. In French Polynesia, Pouvreau and Prasil [10] observed differential P. margaritifera shell growth between different types of island (atolls vs high islands), where nutritional and temperature conditions are different. Kvingedal et al [11] demonstrated the importance of phytoplanktonic diversity on P. maxima spat growth and Linard et al [12] showed that shell growth of Pinctada margaritifera depended on food concentration
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