INTERACTIONS BETWEEN LARVAE OF THE JAPANESE PEARL OYSTER (Pinctada fucata martensii) AND EIGHT SPECIES OF HARMFUL ALGAE

摘要

Harmful algal blooms (HAB) are viewed as an increasing menace to the utilization of living aquatic resources and a major economic threat to fisheries and aquaculture industries (Matsuyama and Shumway 2009). Several HAB species have been shown to causeacute and chronic effects in bivalves. The most common acute effects of HABs are the mass mortalities and physiological alterations. However, limited information is available regarding the effects of HAB on the reproduction and early life development ofbivalves. The aim of the present study was to assess the sensitivity of larvae of the Japanese pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata martensii, cultured in Ago Bay, Mie Prefecture, Japan, to height species of harmful dinoflagellates and raphidophytes known to cause harmful blooms in the area.