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Pales Espinosa E, Bouallegui Y, Grouzdev D, Brianik C, Czaja R, Geraci-Yee S, Kristmundsson A, Muehl M, Schwaner C, Tettelbach ST, Tobi H, Allam B. An apicomplexan parasite drives the collapse of the bay scallop population in New York. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6655. [PMID: 37095123 PMCID: PMC10126089 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33514-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The bay scallop, Argopecten irradians, represents a commercially, culturally and ecologically important species found along the United States' Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Since 2019, scallop populations in New York have been suffering large-scale summer mortalities resulting in 90-99% reduction in biomass of adult scallops. Preliminary investigations of these mortality events showed 100% prevalence of an apicomplexan parasite infecting kidney tissues. This study was designed to provide histological, ultrastructural and molecular characteristics of a non-described parasite, member of the newly established Marosporida clade (Apicomplexa) and provisionally named BSM (Bay Scallop Marosporida). Molecular diagnostics tools (quantitative PCR, in situ hybridization) were developed and used to monitor disease development. Results showed that BSM disrupts multiple scallop tissues including kidney, adductor muscle, gill, and gonad. Microscopy observations allowed the identification of both intracellular and extracellular stages of the parasite. Field surveys demonstrated a strong seasonal signature in disease prevalence and intensity, as severe cases and mortality increase as summer progresses. These results strongly suggest that BSM infection plays a major role in the collapse of bay scallop populations in New York. In this framework, BSM may synergistically interact with stressful environmental conditions to impair the host and lead to mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Younes Bouallegui
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Denis Grouzdev
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Christopher Brianik
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Raymond Czaja
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Sabrina Geraci-Yee
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Arni Kristmundsson
- Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Keidnavegur 3, 112, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Madison Muehl
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Caroline Schwaner
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | | | - Harrison Tobi
- Marine Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Southold, NY, 11971, USA
| | - Bassem Allam
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
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Tomasetti SJ, Hallinan BD, Tettelbach ST, Volkenborn N, Doherty OW, Allam B, Gobler CJ. Warming and hypoxia reduce the performance and survival of northern bay scallops (Argopecten irradians irradians) amid a fishery collapse. Glob Chang Biol 2023; 29:2092-2107. [PMID: 36625070 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Warming temperatures and diminishing dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations are among the most pervasive drivers of global coastal change. While regions of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean are experiencing greater than average warming, the combined effects of thermal and hypoxic stress on marine life in this region are poorly understood. Populations of the northern bay scallop, Argopecten irradians irradians across the northeast United States have experienced severe declines in recent decades. This study used a combination of high-resolution (~1 km) satellite-based temperature records, long-term temperature and DO records, field and laboratory experiments, and high-frequency measures of scallop cardiac activity in an ecosystem setting to quantify decadal summer warming and assess the vulnerability of northern bay scallops to thermal and hypoxic stress across their geographic distribution. From 2003 to 2020, significant summer warming (up to ~0.2°C year-1 ) occurred across most of the bay scallop range. At a New York field site in 2020, all individuals perished during an 8-day estuarine heatwave that coincided with severe diel-cycling hypoxia. Yet at a Massachusetts site with comparable DO levels but lower daily mean temperatures, mortality was not observed. A 96-h laboratory experiment recreating observed daily temperatures of 25 or 29°C, and normoxia or hypoxia (22.2% air saturation), revealed a 120-fold increased likelihood of mortality in the 29°C-hypoxic treatment compared with control conditions, with scallop clearance rates also reduced by 97%. Cardiac activity measurements during a field deployment indicated that low DO and elevated daily temperatures modulate oxygen consumption rates and likely impact aerobic scope. Collectively, these findings suggest that concomitant thermal and hypoxic stress can have detrimental effects on scallop physiology and survival and potentially disrupt entire fisheries. Recovery of hypoxic systems may benefit vulnerable fisheries under continued warming.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brendan D Hallinan
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Southampton, New York, USA
| | | | - Nils Volkenborn
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | | | - Bassem Allam
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Christopher J Gobler
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Southampton, New York, USA
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Tettelbach ST, Furman BT, Hughes SWT, Carroll JM, Peterson BJ, Havelin J, Tettelbach CRH, Patricio RM. Attempted use of an uncommon bay scallop color morph for tracking the contribution of restoration efforts to population recovery. Restor Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen T. Tettelbach
- Marine ProgramCornell Cooperative Extension 3690 Cedar Beach Road Southold NY 11971 U.S.A
- Professor Emeritus of BiologyLong Island University 720 Northern Boulevard Brookville New York 11548 U.S.A
| | - Bradley T. Furman
- Florida Fish Wildlife Conservation CommissionFlorida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute 100 Eighth Avenue SE St. Petersburg FL 33701 U.S.A
| | - Scott W. T. Hughes
- Marine ProgramCornell Cooperative Extension 3690 Cedar Beach Road Southold NY 11971 U.S.A
| | - John M. Carroll
- Department of BiologyGeorgia Southern University 1332 Southern Drive Statesboro GA 30458 U.S.A
| | - Bradley J. Peterson
- School of Marine and Atmospheric SciencesStony Brook‐Southampton 8 Little Neck Road Southampton NY 11968 U.S.A
| | - Jason Havelin
- Marine ProgramCornell Cooperative Extension 3690 Cedar Beach Road Southold NY 11971 U.S.A
| | - Christian R. H. Tettelbach
- Estuary & Ocean Science Center, Romberg Tiburon CampusSan Francisco State University 3150 Paradise Drive Tiburon CA 94920 U.S.A
| | - R. Michael Patricio
- Marine ProgramCornell Cooperative Extension 3690 Cedar Beach Road Southold NY 11971 U.S.A
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Grear JS, O'Leary CA, Nye JA, Tettelbach ST, Gobler CJ. Effects of coastal acidification on North Atlantic bivalves: interpreting laboratory responses in the context of in situ populations. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 2020; 633:89-104. [PMID: 34121786 PMCID: PMC8193825 DOI: 10.3354/meps13140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Experimental exposure of early life stage bivalves has documented negative effects of elevated pCO2 on survival and growth, but the population consequences of these effects are unknown. Following standard practices from population viability analysis and wildlife risk assessment, we substituted laboratory-derived stress-response relationships into baseline population models of Mercenaria mercenaria and Argopecten irradians. The models were constructed using inverse demographic analyses with time series of size-structured field data in NY, USA, whereas the stress-response relationships were developed using data from a series of previously published laboratory studies. We used stochastic projection methods and diffusion approximations of extinction probability to estimate cumulative risk of 50% population decline during ten-year population projections at 1, 1.5 and 2 times ambient pCO2 levels. Although the A. irradians population exhibited higher growth in the field data (12% per year) than the declining M. mercenaria population (-8% per year), cumulative risk was high for A. irradians in the first ten years due to high variance in the stochastic growth rate estimate (log λs = -0.02, σ2 = 0.24). This ten-year cumulative risk increased from 69% to 94% and >99% at 1.5 and 2 times ambient scenarios. For M. mercenaria (log λs = -0.09, σ2 = 0.01), ten-year risk was 81%, 96% and >99% at 1, 1.5 and 2 times ambient pCO2, respectively. These estimates of risk could be improved with detailed consideration of harvest effects, disease, restocking, compensatory responses, other ecological complexities, and the nature of interactions between these and other effects that are beyond the scope of available data. However, results clearly indicate that early life stage responses to plausible levels of pCO2 enrichment have the potential to cause significant increases in risk to these marine bivalve populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- J S Grear
- Atlantic Ecology Division, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, 27 Tarzwell Dr, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA
| | - C A O'Leary
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794
| | - J A Nye
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794
| | - S T Tettelbach
- Long Island University, 720 Northern Blvd, Brookville, NY 11548, USA
| | - C J Gobler
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794
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Tettelbach ST, Europe JR, Tettelbach CRH, Havelin J, Rodgers BS, Furman BT, Velasquez M. Hard clam walking: Active horizontal locomotion of adult Mercenaria mercenaria at the sediment surface and behavioral suppression after extensive sampling. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0173626. [PMID: 28278288 PMCID: PMC5344501 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Locomotion of infaunal bivalve mollusks primarily consists of vertical movements related to burrowing; horizontal movements have only been reported for a few species. Here, we characterize hard clam walking: active horizontal locomotion of adults (up to 118 mm shell length, SL) of the commercially important species, Mercenaria mercenaria, at the sediment surface—a behavior only briefly noted in the literature. We opportunistically observed walking over a 10-yr period, at 9 different sites in the Peconic Bays, New York, USA, and tested several hypotheses for the underlying cause of this behavior through quantitative field sampling and reproductive analyses. Hard clam walking was exhibited by males and females at equal frequency, predominantly during June/July and October, when clams were in peak spawning condition. Extensive walking behavior appears to be cued by a minimum population density; we suggest it may be mediated by unidentified pheromone(s), infaunal pressure waves and/or other unidentified factors. There was no directionality exhibited by walking clams, but individuals in an area of extensive walking were highly aggregated and walking clams were significantly more likely to move toward a member of the opposite sex. Thus, we conclude that hard clam walking serves to aggregate mature individuals prior to spawning, thereby facilitating greater fertilization success. In the process of investigating this behavior, however, we apparently oversampled one population and reduced clam densities below the estimated minimum threshold density and, in so doing, suppressed extensive walking for a period of >3 years running. This not only reinforces the importance of detailed field investigations of species biology and ecology, even for those that are considered to be well studied, but also highlights the need for greater awareness of the potential for research activities to affect focal species behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen T. Tettelbach
- Department of Biology, LIU-Post, Brookville, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - James R. Europe
- Southeast Fisheries Science Center, NOAA, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Christian R. H. Tettelbach
- College of Natural Resources, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Jason Havelin
- Marine Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, Southold, New York, United States of America
| | - Brooke S. Rodgers
- School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Southampton, New York, United States of America
| | - Bradley T. Furman
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Marissa Velasquez
- Department of Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
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Carroll JM, Furman BT, Tettelbach ST, Peterson BJ. Balancing the edge effects budget: bay scallop settlement and loss along a seagrass edge. Ecology 2012; 93:1637-47. [DOI: 10.1890/11-1904.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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