The reproductive response of the protobranch bivalve Yoldia hyperborea to an intermittent influx of phytodetritus. An experimental approach

Yoldia hyperborea (Loven) is a deposit feeder species living in muddy sediments of Conception Bay (Newfoundland, Canada) where it is exposed to a seasonal input of sinking phytoplankton during spring. Data field indicates that this species exhibits an increasing gonad development shortly after the sinking of phytodetritus event, suggesting a close relationship between this food pulse and reproduction. Laboratory experiments carried out with a mixture of laboratory-grown senescent algae Isochrysis galbana, Tetraselmis suecica and Chaetoceros affinis were able to mimic the reproductive response described for Yoldia individuals inhabiting Conception Bay. A dual marker experiment using 14C and 68Ge radiolabelled Thalassiosira nordenskioldii demonstrated that Y. hyperborea fed on T. nordenskioldii and 14C was incorporated into the gonad tissue. Consequently experimental individuals periodically supplied with senescent algae concentrate produced more and larger oocytes than control individuals. These results would help to understand the influence of the sinking phytodetritus in the reproductive activity of Y. hyperborea at Conception Bay.