Tucci Carmen Federica, Milan Massimo, Dalla Rovere Giulia, Bernardini Ilaria, Ferraresso Serena, Franch Rafaella, Babbucci Massimiliano, Monticelli Giovanna, Panin Mattia, Patarnello Tomaso, Bargelloni Luca, Peruzza Luca
Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Viale dell'università 16, Legnaro, 35020 Padova, Italy.
NFBC, National Future Biodiversity Center, Palermo, Italy.
iScience. 2025 Jul 16;28(8):113108. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.113108. eCollection 2025 Aug 15.
Climate extreme events like heatwaves (HWs) increasingly threaten marine ecosystems. Using the Manila clam as a model organism, this study assessed the effects and costs of thermal priming in a realistic scenario. Results showed increased resilience to lethal HWs in primed clams, with significantly higher survival and better defensive behavior compared to naÏve clams. Priming costs were evidenced by a reduced condition index, but hardened animals showed higher antioxidant capacity, upregulation of heat shock response genes, and shifts in microbial composition favoring beneficial taxa. Gene expression analysis revealed environmental memory via upregulation of respiratory chain complex genes, detectable 38 days after priming-the longest reported in molluscs in a controlled setting. Evidence suggests that thermal priming can be an effective mitigation strategy not just for Manila clams but, potentially, for other farmed shellfish species (e.g., oysters and mussels) and for ecological conservation projects against climate extreme events.
热浪等极端气候事件日益威胁着海洋生态系统。本研究以菲律宾蛤仔作为模式生物，在现实场景中评估了热预处理的效果和成本。结果显示，经过预处理的蛤仔对致死性热浪的恢复力增强，与未经预处理的蛤仔相比，其存活率显著更高，防御行为也更好。预处理的成本表现为条件指数降低，但经过强化的动物显示出更高的抗氧化能力、热休克反应基因的上调以及微生物组成的变化，有利于有益类群。基因表达分析通过呼吸链复合体基因的上调揭示了环境记忆，在预处理38天后仍可检测到——这是在受控环境下软体动物中报道的最长时间。有证据表明，热预处理不仅对菲律宾蛤仔，而且对其他养殖贝类物种（如牡蛎和贻贝）以及应对极端气候事件的生态保护项目而言，都可能是一种有效的缓解策略。
