Biomarker Responses in Bivalves Affected by Environmental Stressors Associated with the Global Climate Change

Abstract

he evaluation of oxidative stress in relation to the impact of global climate change on bivalves through the study of the organism’s responses to mitigate the damage and control the generation of reactive oxygen species is analyzed in this chapter. Biomarkers are biological components that complement physico-chemical factors analysis in aquatic organisms by providing first biological signals of environmental situations. Since integration of individual biomarker responses into a set of tools and indices capable of detecting and monitoring the degradation in health of a particular organism is an actual challenge, we propose to evaluate the information on oxidative and physiological biomarkers triggered in bivalves in relation to the exposure to different environmental changes to obtain the best approach to it particular variation. We analyzed bivalves facing “natural stress conditions” (acidification, seasonality, temperature, oxygen partial pressure, salinity, biotoxins). From the revised researches, we found that some of the biomarkers seemed to respond in a better way than others depending on the environmental conditions faced by the bivalves. This chapter expands our understanding of multifactorial effects on the marine ecosystem, providing insight into the acclimation, adaptive and stress response processes of bivalves. Finally, such ecological and biogeochemical changes in the oceans could have profound consequences for marine biodiversity and seafood quality with deep implications for fishery industries in the upcoming decades.