10.5061/DRYAD.88S50
Hill, Richard W.
Michigan State University
Armstrong, Eric J.
University of California, Berkeley
Inaba, Kazuo
University of Tsukuba
Morita, Masaya
University of the Ryukyus
Tresguerres, Martin
University of California, San Diego
Stillman, Jonathon H.
University of California, Berkeley
Roa, Jinae N.
University of British Columbia
Kwan, Garfield T.
University of California, San Diego
Data from: Acid secretion by the boring organ of the burrowing giant clam,
Tridacna crocea
Dryad
dataset
2018
Vacuolar-type H+ATPase
Tridacnid clams
Boring mechanism
bioerosion
Acid secretion
Tridacna crocea
2018-05-18T17:11:46Z
2018-05-18T17:11:46Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0047
29931208 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
The giant clam Tridacna crocea, native to Indo-Pacific coral reefs, is
noted for its unique ability to bore fully into coral rock and is a major
agent of reef bioerosion. However, T. crocea’s mechanism of boring has
remained a mystery despite decades of research. By exploiting a new,
two-dimensional pH-sensing technology and manipulating clams to press
their presumptive boring tissue (the pedal mantle) against pH-sensing
foils, we show that this tissue lowers the pH of surfaces it contacts by
more than 2 pH units below seawater pH day and night. Acid secretion is
likely mediated by vacuolar-type H+-ATPase, which we demonstrate (by
immunofluorescence) is abundant in the pedal mantle outer epithelium. Our
discovery of acid secretion solves this decades-old mystery and reveals
that, during bioerosion, T. crocea can liberate reef constituents directly
to the soluble phase, rather than producing sediment alone as earlier
assumed.
ME_ST_XX_00001Individual ID: Clam 1 (Day) ; Time: 10 March 2017
14:40ME_ST_XX_00006Individual ID: Clam 5 (Day) ; Time: 10 March 2017
14:40ME_ST_XX_00011Individual ID: Clam 3 (Day) ; Time: 10 March 2017
14:40ME_ST_XX_00013Individual ID: Clam 6 (Day) ; Time: 10 March 2017
14:40ME_ST_XX_00018Individual ID: Clam 7 (Day) ; Time: 10 March 2017
14:40ME_ST_XX_00021Individual ID: Clam 8 (Day) ; Time: 10 March 2017
14:40ME_ST_XX_00026Individual ID: Clam 1 (Night) ; Time: 10 March 2017
20:45ME_ST_XX_00034Individual ID: Clam 5 (Night) ; Time: 10 March 2017
20:45ME_ST_XX_00040Individual ID: Clam 3 (Night) ; Time: 10 March 2017
20:45ME_ST_XX_00042Individual ID: Clam 6 (Night) ; Time: 10 March 2017
20:45ME_ST_XX_00044Individual ID: Clam 7 (Night) ; Time: 10 March 2017
20:45ME_ST_XX_00049Individual ID: Clam 8 (Night) ; Time: 10 March 2017
20:45ME_ST_XX_00031Individual ID: Clam 4 (Day) ; Time: 10 March 2017
14:40ME_ST_XX_00076Individual ID: Clam 4 (Night) ; Time: 10 March 2017
20:45ME_ST_XX_00059Individual ID: Clam 2 (Day) ; Time: 11 March 2017
14:06ME_ST_XX_00061Individual ID: Clam 9 (Day) ; Time: 11 March 2017
14:06ME_ST_XX_00083Individual ID: Clam 9 (Night) ; Time: 11 March 2017
22:24ME_ST_XX_00088Individual ID: Clam 2 (Day) ; Time: 11 March 2017 14:06