Genetic Diversity in Marine Bivalve Populations
Summary
Marine bivalves exhibit remarkable genetic diversity shaped by their life histories, reproductive strategies and environmental contexts. High fecundity and planktonic larval dispersal often promote extensive gene flow, while local selective pressures—such as temperature, salinity and habitat heterogeneity—drive adaptive differentiation. Neutral processes, including genetic drift, founder effects and bottlenecks, interact with adaptive mechanisms to mould population structure. Invasive species illustrate both the resilience afforded by broad genetic variation and the risks of reduced diversity in founder populations. Concurrently, aquaculture practices can erode or reshuffle genetic variation through selective breeding and translocation. Advances in genomic tools now enable fine‐scale detection of both neutral and adaptive variation across seascapes, informing management of wild stocks, restoration programmes and sustainable aquaculture. Understanding the balance between connectivity and local adaptation is critical for conserving genetic reservoirs that underpin bivalve resilience to environmental change and disease.
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Genetic Diversity in Marine Bivalve Populations publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in genetic diversity in marine bivalve populations across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Genetic diversity: Variation of alleles and genotypes within and among populations, essential for adaptive potential.
Heterozygosity: The presence of different alleles at a genetic locus, reflecting individual and population genetic variability.
Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP): A single‐base variation in the genome used as a marker for genetic analyses.
Gene flow: Exchange of genes between populations via movement of individuals or gametes, promoting genetic connectivity.
Population structure: The non‐random distribution of genetic variation across geographic or environmental gradients.
References
- Seascape genomics of eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) along the Atlantic coast of Canada. Evolutionary Applications (2018).
- Detailed insights into pan‐European population structure and inbreeding in wild and hatchery Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) revealed by genome‐wide SNP data. Evolutionary Applications (2018).
- Genetic diversity and stock identification of small abalone (Haliotis diversicolor) in Taiwan and Japan. PLOS ONE (2017).
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