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- Title
Growth and longevity of Lithophaga lithophaga: what can we learn from shell structure and stable isotope composition?
- Authors
Peharda, Melita; Puljas, Sanja; Chauvaud, Laurent; Schöne, Bernd; Ezgeta-Balić, Daria; Thébault, Julien
- Abstract
Longevity of bivalves has been an intriguing issue, especially for those species of interest for human consumption. Reliable age and growth estimates often require the combination of several methods. In this study, we analyzed changes in shell structure including ridges on the external shell surface and growth lines observed in acetate peel replicas of shell sections of the European date mussel Lithophaga lithophaga, as well as the oxygen and carbon isotope values ( δO and δC) of the shell. High variations in growth rates between individuals were noted. Ontogenetic ages of analyzed shells varied from 10 to 54 years (30.6-93.6 mm). According to results of generalized von Bertalanffy growth function, L was 107.6 mm, and k was 0.03 year. δO results strongly suggest that growth ridges visible on the external shell surface of L. lithophaga are formed annually. The δO values ranged from −0.2 to 2.7 ‰ ( $$\bar{x} = 1.15 \pm 0.72$$ ‰), which equates to a temperature range of 13 °C. The reconstructed seawater temperatures ( T) ranged between 12 and 25 °C, a range in good agreement with measured temperature. Stable carbon isotope values decreased through ontogeny and ranged between −2.05 and 2.32 ‰ ( $$\bar{x} = 0.01 \pm 0.89$$ ‰). Results of this study provide the first stable isotope data for L. lithophaga shells and show the potential of this species as a geochemical sclerochronological archive.
- Subjects
MUSSELS; MOLLUSK growth; LONGEVITY; MOLLUSK age; CARBON isotopes; SEASHELLS; EFFECT of temperature on mollusks; STABLE isotopes
- Publication
Marine Biology, 2015, Vol 162, Issue 8, p1531
- ISSN
0025-3162
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00227-015-2690-0