The potential of Glycymeris longior (Mollusca, Bivalvia) as a multi-decadal sclerochronological archive for the Argentine Sea (Southern Hemisphere)

Abstract

In the absence of instrumental records, shell growth increments of bivalves are used to build continuous multi-decadal time series of growth and to estimate environmental variability. While there is interest in such chronologies in the Northern Hemisphere, there is a lack of multi-decadal datasets of growth for marine species from the Southern Hemisphere. We assessed the potential of the clam Glycymeris longior as an environmental proxy archive for the mid-latitudes of the South Atlantic Ocean, by applying sclerochronological techniques on the shells of individuals from a coastal area in Northern Patagonia, Argentina. Growth of G. longior showed a synchronous pattern, and shells were cross dated. We demonstrated that G. longior shells can be used to generate a robust multi-decadal chronology. The chronology spanned for a period of 22 years, from 1990 to 2011. This chronology has the potential to be extended, given that the maximum longevity of the analysed shells was 69 years. Significant positive correlations were found between the chronology and sea surface temperature and the Southern Annular Mode index. The sclerochronological approach performed in this study is a first step toward a long-term understanding of the links between climate and growth patterns of bivalves in temperate regions of SW Atlantic Ocean, under a long-term perspective.