Geophysical mapping and sampling data provide a record of changing environmental and faunal conditions within the Hudson River estuary during the midto late Holocene. On the shallow, broad marginal flats of the mesohaline Hudson, fossil oyster beds (Crassostrea virginica) are found exposed on the river bottom and buried by sediment. The shallowest beds are well imaged in chirp sub-bottom and si...

Marine seafloor ecosystems, and efforts to restore them, depend critically on the influx and settlement of larvae following their pelagic dispersal period. Larval dispersal and settlement patterns are driven by a combination of physical oceanography and behavioral responses of larvae to a suite of sensory cues both in the water column and at settlement sites. There is growing evidence that the ...

We reported pearl oyster Pinctada fucata cDNA and genomic characterization of a new homeobox-containing protein, PfMSX. The PfMSX gene encodes a transcription factor that was localized to the nucleus. Analyses of PfMSX mRNA in tissues and developmental stages showed high expressions in mantle or D-shaped larvae. In electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) PfMSX binded to MSX consensus bind...

The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas accounts for a large part of shellfish aquaculture production worldwide. Aspects of morphological and functional characteristics of oyster oocytes remain poorly documented, and traditional techniques, such as microscopic observations of shape or fertilization rate, are time and space consuming. The purpose of this study was to assess for the first time viabi...

The ecological quality status (EcoQ) of intertidal mudflats constrained by Pacific oyster farming was assessed by single (H', AMBI, BENTIX and BOPA) and multimetric (M-AMBI and average score) index approaches in the Pertuis Charentais (SW France). Fifteen sampling stations were monitored seasonally for sedimentological features and macrozoobenthos in 2004. Sediments affected by oyster biodeposi...

Pomeroy et al. (2006) proposed that temporal and spatial mismatches between eastern oyster filtration and phytoplankton abundance will preclude restored stocks of eastern oysters from reducing the severity of hypoxia in the deep channel of central Chesapeake Bay. We refute this contention by presenting arguments, data, and model results, overlooked by these authors. Our analysis indicates that ...

This study investigated the non-neutrality of genetic polymorphism in two alpha-amylase genes (AMYA and AMYB) in the oyster Crassostrea gigas. Bi-parental oyster families, bred to be polymorphic for markers in these genes, were monitored for growth and survival for 1 year under standard culture conditions in two French production sites. Within-family genotype frequencies indicated that the two ...

We assessed the capacity of real-time PCR markers to identify the origin of contamination in shellfish. Oyster, cockles or clams were either contaminated with fecal materials and host-associated markers designed from Bacteroidales or Catellicoccus marimammalium 16S RNA genes were extracted from their intravalvular liquid, digestive tissues or shellfish flesh. Extraction of bacterial DNA from th...

Since 1995, hatchery-produced juvenile oysters have been planted on numerous natural oyster bars inMaryland in an effort to restore degraded reefs. As part of the monitoring effort, 27 discrete hatchery plantings spanning 10 y of restoration were sampled during late summer and fall 2009. Oyster shell height, dry meat weight, shell weight, and clump height all increased significantly with age.Pe...

The search for exotic pathogens related to the outbreaks and in surveillance samplings of the Mexican oyster farms, is a recent activity achieved by academic institutions and state committees for Aquatic Animal Health, with remarkable results. In samples of Crassostrea gigas collected through December 2009, January 2010 and November 2010, and of C. corteziensis in September 2011, the protozoan ...