Interactive effects of temperature and food availability on the growth of Arctica islandica (Bivalvia) juveniles

• Published in: Marine Environmental Research
• Main Authors: Ballesta-Artero, Irene, Janssen, Reneé, van der Meer, Jaap, Witbaard, Rob
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Bivalve; Phytoplankton concentration; Sclerochronology; Shell and tissue growth; Siphon activity; Temperature; /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_below_water; name=SDG 14 - Life Below Water; Arctica islandica
• Online Access: https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/27c1b1fa-6a4e-4c3b-924d-78c63cf57bbc; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2017.12.004; https://hdl.handle.net/1871.1/27c1b1fa-6a4e-4c3b-924d-78c63cf57bbc; http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85037616677&partnerID=8YFLogxK; http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85037616677&partnerID=8YFLogxK

The interest in Arctica islandica growth biology has recently increased due to the widespread use of its shell as a bioarchive. Although temperature and food availability are considered key factors in its growth, their combined influence has not been studied so far under laboratory conditions. We tested the interactive effect of temperature and food availability on the shell and tissue growth of A. islandica juveniles (9–15 mm in height) in a multi-factorial experiment with four food levels (no food, low, medium, and high) and three different temperatures (3, 8, 13 °C). Shell and tissue growth were observed in all treatments, with significant differences occurring only among food levels (2-way ANOVA; P-value < 0.05). Siphon activity (% open siphons), however, was affected by temperature, food, and the interaction between them (2-way ANOVA; P-value < 0.05). Siphon observations, as indication of feeding activities, played a key role to better understand the growth variation between individuals.