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.
Simon Fraser University researchers have uncovered fiberglass contamination in a key estuary on Vancouver Island, raising concerns about how an as-yet-overlooked contaminant could affect aquatic birds, marine life and coastal ...
Ecology
Feb 24, 2026
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New research has identified optimal design for artificial habitats to support restoration of oyster reefs, based on a detailed understanding of natural oyster reef geometry. Published in the global journal Nature, the Sydney-based ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 18, 2026
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Florida's Indian River Lagoon (IRL), one of the state's most ecologically productive estuaries, is facing a growing but invisible threat that could reshape its marine ecosystems. Over the past decade, the lagoon has suffered ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 3, 2026
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Governance arrangements that fit social-ecological context help support fishery sustainability.
Agriculture
Jan 27, 2026
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Chemists have long been fascinated and frustrated by saxitoxin: a molecule that causes temporary paralysis by blocking the electrical signals that nerve cells (neurons) use to activate muscle, and which accumulates in shellfish ...
Biotechnology
Dec 9, 2025
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