Work

Physiological responses of Atlantic surfclams (Spisula solidissima) to moderate ocean acidification across thermal regimes

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Understanding marine organismal responses to co-occurring climate stressors is critical for predicting changes in ecosystems and commercial fisheries. The Atlantic surfclam supports a major commercial fishery in the Northeastern United States, where ocean warming and acidification are rapidly altering marine habitats. To evaluate how changing ocean conditions may affect bivalve physiology, surfclams were exposed to conditions reflective of ocean warming and acidification, respectively. One-year-old surfclams were exposed to nine conditions in a fully crossed design of temperature (ambient, +2 °C, and + 5 °C) and pH (7.88 ± 0.05, 7.76 ± 0.05, and 7.51 ± 0.07) for six weeks in a flow-through laboratory experiment using natural seawater. We quantified several physiological responses including growth, feeding, digestion, respiration rates, and shell weight and thickness to assess organismal performance across treatments. Surfclams generally exhibited resistance to moderate ocean acidification across warming, but non-thermally stressful, temperatures. No effects of ocean acidification were observed on surfclam growth or respiration, although other physiological metrics (shell thickness and absorption rate) decreased with decreasing pH at some temperatures. These findings provide experimentally-derived insight into species-specific responses to interacting climate stressors. Further, the experimental design highlights the importance of integrating natural environmental variability into laboratory studies and studying multiple environmental stressors concurrently. This study contributes a basis for refining models of surfclam growth and distribution in potential future climate scenarios, with implications for sustainable fisheries management.

Source: Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

DOI: 10.1016/j.jembe.2026.152227

Authors: L. Steeves, R. Davitt, S.L. Meseck, D. Munroe

Institutions: Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Northeast Fisheries Science Center

Language: English

Topic: Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses

Subfield: Oceanography

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life below water

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,270