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These shells don't clam up: Innovative technique to record human impact on coastal waters
December 03, 2008With their sedentary lifestyles and filter-feeding habits, clams have been silent witnesses to the changes that humans have inflicted upon their waters. These clams are silent no more, as Dr. Ruth H. Carmichael of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and her colleagues have reported in their recent paper in the prestigious journal Aquatic Biology. Using stable isotope techniques, Carmichael demonstrated it is possible to identify and trace wastewater inputs to estuaries and coastal food webs by studying the organic matrix in the shell of the hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria.
This work presents a novel application of established biochemical techniques that can be applied to refine diet analyses for shellfish, trace nitrogen entry to coastal waters relative to changes in urbanization or climate, and help discern natural from human-driven influences on coastal ecosystems.
Using this new technique will allow coastal researchers and managers to document increases in waste loadings to coastal waters over longer periods of environmental change.
"This technique is exciting because it gives scientists and coastal managers a way to look into the past and trace human influences, in this case wastewater pollution, into local waters and ultimately into the organisms living there," said Dr. Carmichael. "Tools that help us define and trace specific sources of human-influence on our coastal waters are essential to inform management and future research efforts."
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
"This technique is exciting because it gives scientists and coastal managers a way to look into the past and trace human influences, in this case wastewater pollution, into local waters and ultimately into the organisms living there," said Dr. Carmichael. "Tools that help us define and trace specific sources of human-influence on our coastal waters are essential to inform management and future research efforts."
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
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Clams Current Events and Clams News RSSAnalysis finds strong match between molecular, fossil data in evolutionary studies
During a seminar at another institution several years ago, University of Chicago paleontologist David Jablonski fielded a hostile question: Why bother classifying organisms according to their physical appearance, let alone analyze their evolutionary dynamics, when molecular techniques had already invalidated that approach?
Researchers report 'moderately large' potential for red tide outbreak in Gulf of Maine region
The potential for an outbreak of the phenomenon commonly called "red tide" is expected to be "moderately large" this spring and summer, according to researchers with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and North Carolina State University (NCSU).
University of Copenhagen
Unchecked global warming would leave ocean dwellers gasping for breath. Dead zones are low-oxygen areas in the ocean where higher life forms such as fish, crabs and clams are not able to live. In shallow coastal regions, these zones can be caused by runoff of excess fertilizers from farming.
Danube Delta Holds Answers to 'Noah's Flood' Debate
Did a catastrophic flood of biblical proportions drown the shores of the Black Sea 9,500 years ago, wiping out early Neolithic settlements around its perimeter? A geologist with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and two Romanian colleagues report in the January issue of Quaternary Science Reviews that, if the flood occurred at all, it was much smaller than previously proposed by other researchers.
Food choices and location influence California sea otter exposure to disease
Sea otters living along the central California coast risk higher exposure to disease-causing parasites as a consequence of the food they eat and where they feed.
Brown Scientist Finds Coastal Dead Zones May Benefit Some Species
Coastal dead zones, an increasing concern to ecologists, the fishing industry and the public, may not be as devoid of life after all. A Brown scientist has found that dead zones do indeed support marine life, and that at least one commercially valuable clam actually benefits from oxygen-depleted waters.
Discovering drugs, biofuels in tropical seas
The National Institutes of Health has awarded $4 million to a group of Philippine and American scientists led by Oregon Health & Science University to aid in the discovery of new molecules and biofuels technology from marine mollusks for development in the Philippines.
Shift in bald eagle diet linked to sea otter decline
A newly published study has found that the decline of sea otters along Alaska's Aleutian Islands has forced a change in the diet of a terrestrial predator - the bald eagle. The study demonstrates the extraordinary complexity of marine ecosystems and how far-ranging the impacts can be when there is a population shift in a keystone species like the sea otter.
Ocean floor geysers warm flowing sea water
An international team of earth scientists report movement of warmed sea water through the flat, Pacific Ocean floor off Costa Rica. The movement is greater than that off midocean volcanic ridges. The finding suggests possible marine life in a part of the ocean once considered barren.
Study shows continued spread of 'dead zones'
A global study led by Professor Robert Diaz of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, shows that the number of "dead zones"-areas of seafloor with too little oxygen for most marine life-has increased by a third between 1995 and 2007.
More Clams Current Events and Clams News Articles
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Bar Harbor All Natural Chopped Clams, 6.5-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12) by Bar Harbor Premium, all natural. Quality is our Maine distinction. Chopped clams are excellent for salads, chowders, stews, fritters and stuffing. No artificial preservatives. No MSG. |
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Giant Clams in the Sea and the Aquarium by James W. Fatherree (Author) Giant Clams in the Sea and the Aquarium provides comprehensive coverage of the biology and aquarium care of the unique and intriguing tridacnid clams, commonly called giants by aquarists and divers around the world. The book is an 8 x 9 hardback, printed on high-quality gloss paper, and includes over 300 color photographs and illustrations. |
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Crown Prince Minced Clams, 6.5-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12) by Crown Prince Wild caught. Product of Chile. |
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Texas Hold 'Em Poker Clam Shell by Excalibur Now you can play the popular game of Texas Hold 'Em whenever you want. It fits comfortably in your hand and is easy to carry with you. It is a great way to practice for that Vegas trip. |
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Clams: How to Find, Catch, and Cook Them by Curtis J. Badger (Author) This practical, illustrated how to book describes the best ways to clam, including where to find the creatures, what equipment to use, and how to collect and cook them with dozens of tasty clam recipes included. The author, a veteran clammer along Virginia's clam rich Eastern Shore, also examines the natural history of clams and answers frequently asked questions about them. |
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Crown Prince Chopped Clams, 6.5-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12) by Crown Prince Wild caught. Product of Chile. |
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Sani-Safe 3'' Clam Knife by Dexter Russell The Choice of Commercial Fishermen. Stay Sharp. An Unbeatable Value! Russell Harrington Cutlery is the largest manufacturer of professional cutlery in the U.S.. They have been making knives longer than anyone else in the country and continue to carry on a tradition of quality and excellence in each and every product they sell. Even an amateur will benefit from these tools of the pros. |
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Crown Prince Natural Boiled Baby Clams, 10-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12) by Crown Prince Wild caught. Packed in water. Low in sodium and a fat-free food. Excellent source of iron. Good source of protein. Especially produced for the natural product industry. Ready to eat. Excellent for dips, chowders, sauces, and ceviche. Product of Thailand. |
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Giant Clams: A Comprehensive Guide to the Identification and Care of Tridacnid Clams by Daniel Knop (Author) In this book Daniel Knop introduces the reader to all nine known species of giant clams, family tridacnidae, which include the largest known bivalves, having shells that measure up to over one meter in length. The reader is given detailed descriptions of giant clam biology, ecology, anatomy and reproduction. In addition the book offers chapters regarding diseases and parasites of clams, breeding facilities, and how to maintain giant clams in home aquariums. The book includes lots of useful information about filtration, water movement, lighting and aquarium construction. |
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Do Clams Bite? by The Babbington Press Peter Leroy considers the origins of his childhood pelecypodophobia (the fear of bivalve mollusks), meets the imaginary friend who will remain his best friend for life, memorizes the legends of his ancestors in the Leroy line (including Black Jacques Leroy, who “invented beer”), studies his father's nude photographs of family friend May Castle, and enjoys a moonlight swim with Margot and Martha, the Glynn twins, after which he concludes that clams do not bite. “At times, reading Kraft is like stumbling across memories of your own life, and yet the work is self-consciously — pointedly — literary. Its allusions, some blatant and others invisibly woven in, range from Proust to Mark Twain. Its jokes range in style from buffoonish vaudeville to the kind of deadpan drollery you... |
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