Selective breeding of edible bivalves and its implication of global climate change

Abstract

Bivalve molluscs are very nutritious and are an important source of human animal protein. To date, bivalve farming has contributed to about 15% of the mean per capita animal protein intake of approximate 1.5 billion people around the world. Unfortunately, the effects of climate change, mainly global warming and ocean acidification, have had many deleterious effects on bivalve aquaculture, not only leading to mass mortalities of bivalves in farms and hatcheries, but also causing collapse of natural bivalve populations. In response to the recurrent mass mortalities of farmed bivalves, many selective breeding programmes have been launched with the breeding goal of reducing mortality rate caused by disease outbreaks and changing ocean conditions. This article reviews the progress and potential of selective breeding of edible bivalves in the context of global climate change. It is clear from the literature that in terms of environmental sensitivity, and disease resistance and tolerance, selective breeding has great potential for improving the robustness of edible bivalves with significant heritability and genetic gain. Because the robustness of edible bivalves to climate change is a complex trait affected by multiple genes, the application of modern genomic tools in selective breeding is expected to dramatically enhance the accuracy and efficacy of genetic improvements and produce bivalve strains that are robust to climate change. The information in this article is very useful for guidance on adaptation strategies for climate‐smart bivalve aquaculture solutions to be implemented in bivalve hatcheries and farms.

Contemporary Oyster Reef Restoration: Responding to a Changing World

“…Industry-based selective breeding programs have historically revolved around selection for fast growth-a trait favored by food production industries-and disease resistance, which is generally regarded as one of the largest threats to the industry (Dégremont et al, 2015). However, there is increasing interest in also breeding for resilience to heat stress and ocean acidification (Tan et al, 2020). The resulting breeding lines have, in many instances, been demonstrated to confer survival and growth benefits to cultivated oysters, when exposed to these stressors (Tan et al, 2020).…”

“…However, there is increasing interest in also breeding for resilience to heat stress and ocean acidification (Tan et al, 2020). The resulting breeding lines have, in many instances, been demonstrated to confer survival and growth benefits to cultivated oysters, when exposed to these stressors (Tan et al, 2020).…”

Ancestral Physical Stress and Later Immune Gene Family Expansions Shaped Bivalve Mollusc Evolution

“…They also comprise >20% of global aquaculture production ( FAO 2020 ; Houston et al 2020 ). To establish a community for restocking or aquaculture, robust stocks are crucial, underscoring the importance of effective breeding strategies ( Gutierrez et al 2017 ; Potts et al 2021 ) which in turn require better understanding of immunity and resilience mechanisms employed by bivalves ( Tan et al 2020 ).…”

Potential of genomic technologies to improve disease resistance in molluscan aquaculture

“…While assessing the impact of specific pathogens on molluscan aquaculture is challenging, one pertinent example is the devastating impact of the ostreid herpesvirus (OsHV), which is widespread and impacts most oyster-producing countries, particularly the microvariant OsHV-1 μ var [11]. Multi-faceted approaches are required to prevent and mitigate the impact of such outbreaks, especially considering potential increases in disease risk owing to climate change [12]. Owing to its economic and animal welfare importance, disease resistance is arguably the most important target trait in the breeding goals of advanced aquaculture breeding programmes [13–16].…”