Mechanisms of salinity adaptations in marine molluscs

A review on salinity adaptation of marine molluscsbased on mainly Russian scientific literature ispresented. The existence of two relativelyindependent systems of adaptation to extreme(resistance level) and moderate (tolerance level)changes of environmental salinity was shown. Theresistance of mollu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrobiologia 1997-10, Vol.355 (1-3), p.115-126
Main Authors: Berger, V J, Kharazova, A D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brackish
Environmental changes
Marine
Mollusca
Mollusks
Parasites
Salinity
Shellfish
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Summary:A review on salinity adaptation of marine molluscsbased on mainly Russian scientific literature ispresented. The existence of two relativelyindependent systems of adaptation to extreme(resistance level) and moderate (tolerance level)changes of environmental salinity was shown. Theresistance of molluscs is based mainly on an impededwater-salt exchange with the external medium due tomantle cavity hermetization. The tolerance ofmolluscs is determined by cellular mechanisms ofadaptation. Reversible changes of protein and RNAsynthesis, alteration of the pattern of multiplemolecular forms of different enzymes, and theregulation of ionic content and cell volume wereshown to be of importance for the above mentionedmechanisms. The efficiency of resistance andtolerance adaptations to salinity changes may varyin different species and in different colourphenotypes of the same species (intrapopulationalpolymorphism). Parasites (trematodes) may suppressthe resistance of the mollusc-host to extremesalinity changes without effecting the host'scapacity for adaptive changes in salinitytolerance.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0018-8158
1573-5117
DOI:10.1023/A:1003023322263