Eastern oysters alter inducible defense mechanism of shell strengthening with age.

ABSTRACT: Eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, use inducible defenses in the form of strengthened shells to reduce their risk of predation. Inducible defenses often have trade-offs between the costs and benefits associated with the organism's fitness, as developing defenses requires energetic resources. Shell strength is a product of the amount of material laid by the animal (thickness) and the material properties of the shell (e.g. hardness and fracture resistance). Previous studies have suggested that oysters may trade off between shell thickness or shell hardness as a mechanism for increasing shell strength against predation, which are hypothesized to have different energetic requirements. The present study analyzed the shell structural (thickness of composite layers) and micromechanical prope

SUBMITTER: Roney SH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12276809 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature