As the climate warms and the world’s oceans take up more carbon dioxide, those waters are becoming increasingly acidic, causing damaging corrosion to the shells of many marine species, including oysters. But some researchers hope that by locating certain genes in shellfish that are more adaptable or resilient to acidification, they can protect these vulnerable species and, at the same time, save valuable markets like the oyster industry from devastating financial losses.
“The sequencing of the Pacific oyster genome, achieved in 2012, has made this effort much easier, revealing the function of thousands of oyster genes,” says Chemical and Engineering News.
Pierre De Wit, an evolutionary biologist at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg, has discovered 50 biomarkers essential to forming an oyster shell that are delayed or go unexpressed in highly acidic waters. In the future, researchers believe, it might be possible to use that information to select for hardier oyster types.
Meanwhile, a study by University of Sydney researcher Laura Parker showed “that in acidified conditions, stocks of the Sydney rock oyster bred for aquaculture grew shells better than did wild oysters, suggesting that the species has the genetic potential to adapt to ocean acidification,” says C&EN. Hatchery owners may be able to use selective breeding to help protect their stocks from the impact of climate change.