Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Mass Mortalities in Oysters Is Influenced by Energetic Reserves and Food Quality

• Published in: PLoS ONE
• Main Authors: Pernet, Fabrice, Lagarde, Franck, Jeannee, Nicolas, Daigle, Gaetan, Barret, Jean, Le Gall, Patrik, Quere, Claudie, d'Orbcastel, Emmanuelle Roque
• Other Authors: Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement Marin (LEMAR) (LEMAR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), Geovariances, ANR-12-AGRO-0001,GIGASSAT,Adaptation des écosystèmes ostréicoles au changement global(2012)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2014
• Subjects: RUDITAPES-PHILIPPINARUM; HEMOCYTE PARAMETERS; DISEASE; INFECTION; TRANSMISSION; ACL; MEDITERRANEAN THAU LAGOON; CRASSOSTREA-GIGAS; PACIFIC OYSTERS; OSTREID HERPESVIRUS-1; PERKINSUS-MARINUS; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Pacific; Crassostrea gigas
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-02550586; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0088469

International audience Although spatial studies of diseases on land have a long history, far fewer have been made on aquatic diseases. Here, we present the first large-scale, high-resolution spatial and temporal representation of a mass mortality phenomenon cause by the Ostreid herpesvirus (OsHV-1) that has affected oysters (Crassostrea gigas) every year since 2008, in relation to their energetic reserves and the quality of their food. Disease mortality was investigated in healthy oysters deployed at 106 locations in the Thau Mediterranean lagoon before the start of the epizootic in spring 2011. We found that disease mortality of oysters showed strong spatial dependence clearly reflecting the epizootic process of local transmission. Disease initiated inside oyster farms spread rapidly beyond these areas. Local differences in energetic condition of oysters, partly driven by variation in food quality, played a significant role in the spatial and temporal dynamics of disease mortality. In particular, the relative contribution of diatoms to the diet of oysters was positively correlated with their energetic reserves, which in turn decreased the risk of disease mortality.