Growth Dynamics of Marine Bivalves

Marine bivalves exhibit complex growth dynamics governed by the interplay of physiological processes, environmental conditions and life-history traits. Shell accretion results from biomineralisation of calcium carbonate, modulated by temperature, salinity, food supply and carbonate chemistry. Growth follows characteristic curves in which individuals allocate energy to somatic maintenance, shell deposition and reproduction. Age and size distributions within populations reflect seasonal fluctuations, ontogenetic shifts and habitat heterogeneity. Understanding these dynamics is essential for predicting responses to climate change, managing commercial stocks and conserving keystone species in coastal ecosystems. Recent advances integrate field-based measurements of linear extension, bulk density and porosity with laboratory experiments and modelling approaches. This multidisciplinary perspective has revealed how bivalves adjust growth rates and skeletal properties in response to both short-term variability and long-term environmental trends.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have quantified how environmental gradients influence shell morphology and skeletal parameters in a commercially important clam. Populations sampled along a latitudinal transect exhibited thinner, more porous shells with lower fracture resistance in warmer, higher‐irradiance waters, while basic biomineralisation processes remained unchanged. Further work has linked net calcification rates to sea surface temperature, salinity and solar radiation, demonstrating that juvenile and adult shells respond differently: juveniles increase bulk density, whereas adults enhance linear extension. These findings underscore the sensitivity of skeletal growth to regional hydrographic drivers and highlight the need to incorporate both density- and length-based metrics when assessing population resilience under changing ocean conditions.

Growth Dynamics of Marine Bivalves publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in growth dynamics of marine bivalves across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Von Bertalanffy growth function: A mathematical model describing how an organism’s size approaches an asymptote over time.

Net calcification rate: The net amount of calcium carbonate deposited by an organism per unit time.

Bulk density: The mass of shell material per unit volume, indicating overall compactness.

Linear extension rate: The increase in shell length or thickness over a given time interval.

Porosity: The proportion of void space within shell material, affecting strength and permeability.

Secondary production: The rate at which biomass is generated by a population over time, reflecting turnover.

References

1. Shell properties of commercial clam Chamelea gallina are influenced by temperature and solar radiation along a wide latitudinal gradient. Scientific Reports (2016).
2. Environmental influence on calcification of the bivalve Chamelea gallina along a latitudinal gradient in the Adriatic Sea. Scientific Reports (2019).
3. Age and Growth of Striped Venus Clam Chamelea gallina (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Mid-Western Adriatic Sea: A Comparison of Three Laboratory Techniques. Frontiers in Marine Science (2020).
4. Climate variation during the Holocene influenced the skeletal properties of Chamelea gallina shells in the North Adriatic Sea (Italy). PLOS ONE (2021).
5. Population biology and secondary production of the stout razor clam Tagelus plebeius (Bivalvia, Solecurtidae) on a sandflat in southeastern Brazil. Zoologia (Curitiba) (2010).