Clams are bivalve mollusks within the class Bivalvia (formerly Pelecypoda), characterized by a laterally compressed body enclosed between two calcareous shell valves hinged dorsally. They exhibit a reduced head, lack a radula, and possess paired ctenidia (gills) that function in both respiration and filter feeding. Most clams are infaunal, using a muscular foot for burrowing into sediment, and feed by pumping water through siphons to capture suspended particles. Their life cycle typically includes a free-swimming trochophore and veliger larval stage. Clams play significant roles in benthic ecosystems as bioturbators and filter feeders and are important models in ecotoxicology and environmental monitoring.
The European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) was once widespread but has now become so scarce in the North Sea that it no longer forms ecologically functioning reefs. Along with the demise of the flat oyster, the three-dimensional ...
Ecology
Aug 25, 2026
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An international study led by Curtin University has put to bed a scientific debate dating back 176 years, confirming that two historically significant oyster species from Western Australia and Fiji are distinct species.
Ecology
Aug 3, 2026
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A team of Vermont researchers has discovered that mysterious black skin lesions afflicting catfish in Lake Memphremagog and other New England and Canadian lakes are caused by a transmissible cancer—the first identified in ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 22, 2026
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When University of Rhode Island researchers slipped beneath the surface of the Moosup River recently, they did not expect to find a living freshwater mussel community. The discovery marked the first documented record of freshwater ...
Ecology
Jul 16, 2026
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A new Stanford-led study offers the clearest picture yet of how some ocean life survived our planet's biggest mass extinction while most animals did not. About 252 million years ago, 96% of marine species and 70% of land ...
Evolution
Jul 10, 2026
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262
A study published in the journal Biological Invasions indicates that Brazil currently has at least 82 non-native mollusk species, in addition to 13 whose origin cannot be determined. This represents a 215% increase compared ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 1, 2026
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Researchers have identified a severe outbreak of a rare contagious cancer in soft-shell clams in Washington state's Puget Sound and found evidence that the disease was recently introduced to the Pacific Northwest from Atlantic ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 24, 2026
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Burrowing shrimp are small marine excavators native to Washington. They make their homes deep in the sediment by digging, turning the ground to Swiss cheese. This presents a problem for shellfish farmers, whose clams and ...
Ecology
May 14, 2026
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The mass extinction at the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods was catastrophic, wiping out much of life on Earth. Vertebrate groups that dominated at the time, such as dinosaurs and many large marine reptiles, ...
Evolution
Mar 25, 2026
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121
The ocean naturally absorbs CO₂ from the atmosphere, acting as a carbon sink. This capacity is determined by a natural chemical property referred to as ocean alkalinity. If the alkalinity increases, the ocean has the potential ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 17, 2026
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