Reproductive cycle and gross biochemical composition of the ark shell Scapharca subcrenata (Lischke, 1869) reared on subtidal mudflats in a temperate bay of Korea
Highlights
► The annual biological cycles of the bottom-cultured ark shells were investigated. ► Their condition peaked in April-May and reached minima during late summer-fall. ► They showed a unimodal gametogenesis cycle with one spawning peak (June–August). ► Spawning of the ark shell has advanced by at least a month in the past decade. ► The accelerated gametogenesis may reflect the elevated temperature in winter−spring.
Introduction
The ark shell, Scapharca subcrenata (Lischke, 1869), is a suspension-feeding bivalve that inhabits the muddy sediments of the shallow coasts of Korea, Japan, and China (Nakamura, 2005, Nakamura and Shinotsuka, 2007). In Korea, the ark shell has been generally cultured in the bottom sediments of shallow (< 10 m water depth) subtidal areas. It is of commercial importance, with an annual production of about 3000 tonnes in recent years (Jung et al., 2010), although the maximum ark shell production in Korea was about 6800 tons in 1997 (MIFAFF, Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 2008). This recent reduction in the annual production of the ark shell has largely resulted from the local shortage of healthy seed. The ark shell seed used for culture has been collected naturally using a kuralon net (10 mm mesh) on intertidal mudflats and in shallow subtidal habitats (Lim and Hur, 2010). Accordingly, information on the reproductive strategies of the ark shell (i.e., its gametogenic activity and spawning time) is essential in determining the best time at which to collect the seed from natural habitats. However, most studies have focused on the growth of the juveniles or spats under different environmental conditions (Fang et al., 2008, Lim and Hur, 2010, Shi et al., 2007), the distribution of spats (Kim et al., 2006), or the ecological role of the ark shell in material cycling (Nakamura, 2005). Moreover, although histological analyses have examined the reproductive cycle of S. subcrenata (Kim et al., 2008, Lee, 1998), these studies have been limited to their gametogenic development, with no details of the reproductive strategies of the ark shell evaluated in relation to the ambient environmental conditions.
The directions and degrees of the seasonal changes in the reproductive activities of marine bivalves depend on both abiotic (water temperature, photoperiod) and biotic (nutrition) conditions (Bayne, 1976, Fabioux et al., 2005, Gabbott, 1975, Gabbott, 1983, Thompson et al., 1996). Changes in water temperature can have a substantial direct effect on the gametogenic process in marine bivalves (Giese and Pearse, 1974, Mann, 1979, Muranaka and Lannan, 1984, Ruiz et al., 1992a). In recent years, increasing concern about global climate change has directed attention towards understanding the role of water temperature on the reproduction of marine organisms. Indeed, the average water temperature during the coldest month on the coast of the Korean Peninsula has increased by about 2 °C in the last 70 years (Kim et al., 2009). An elevated environmental temperature can significantly affect gonadal development in a single species, either accelerating gametogenesis or delaying gonadal maturation (Fearman and Moltschaniwskyj, 2010, Utting, 1993). Food availability can also influence the growth and gamete quality of bivalves (Kang et al., 2000, Navarro et al., 1989, Pazos et al., 1992). These authors have demonstrated that bivalves usually show higher tissue growth and greater gamete production under better nutritional conditions. The gametogenic cycles of marine bivalves are closely associated with the energy storage-consumption balance, which is controlled by ambient environmental conditions (Bayne, 1976, Gabbott, 1975, Gabbott, 1983). In this respect, marine bivalves can be classified into two groups by their gametogenic strategies in relation to energy storage and mobilization during gametogenesis (Bayne, 1976). One group (called “conservative species”) uses energy from substrates consumed earlier and stored in various organs for its gametogenesis. In contrast, the other group (“opportunistic species”) uses the energy from recently ingested food for gametogenesis. Despite the great variability in the environmental conditions of the shallow subtidal ark shell habitats, little is known about the reproductive strategies of S. subcrenata in relation to local environmental conditions.
In this study, we investigated the annual cycle in the condition, gametogenic activity, and gross biochemical composition of the bottom-cultured ark shell S. subcrenata in a southern coastal bay of Korea. The objectives of the study were to examine the gametogenic pattern of the ark shell, the seasonal changes in its energy storage and utilization, and its reproductive strategies under highly variable environmental conditions. The results of this study should improve our understanding of the timing of seeding, so that healthy seed can be collected for ark shell cultivation.
Section snippets
Climatic conditions of area
This study was carried out at a shallow (2–3 m water depth) subtidal site in Yeoja Bay on the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula (Fig. 1). The bay extends roughly 30 km north from its mouth, and varies between 7.2 and 21.6 km from west (the Goheung Peninsula) to east (the Yeosu Peninsula). The bay is semi-enclosed, with a total area of about 320 km2, and relatively shallow, with a mean depth of 5.4 m. The tide is semidiurnal, with maximal tidal amplitudes of approximately 3.6 m on spring tides (
Environmental conditions
The water temperature at the sampling site showed a seasonal pattern typical of the temperate zone, with a unimodal peak (27.4 °C) in August and a minimum (6.1 °C) in February (Fig. 2). Salinity was at minimum (< 30) in summer (July−September 2010), reflecting the high rainfall during the monsoon season (July−August), and was relatively constant at 31.5–33.0 for the remainder of the year. The suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentrations ranged from 8.2 to 48.5 mg l− 1, and relatively high
Discussion
In this study, the gametogenesis of S. subcrenata was characterized by a unimodal cycle during a year in Yeoja Bay, with only one spawning peak (June–August). It has been reported that the gametogenesis of S. subcrenata is initiated in winter when the water temperature is lowest (Kim et al., 2008, Lee, 1998). Our histological observations also showed the appearance of gametes in the late active stage (stage 2 in this study) in the low-temperature period of February, which considerably elevated
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2009-0074280). We thank Y. J. Lee, J. H. Kwak, and M. R. Park for their assistance in the field and with biometric measurements.
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