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Telomere dynamics in the Sydney rock oyster (Saccostrea glomerata): an investigation into the effects of age, tissue type, location and time of sampling

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Abstract

Telomere length has been purported as a biomarker for age and could offer a non-lethal method for determining the age of wild-caught individuals. Molluscs, including oysters and abalone, are the basis of important fisheries globally and have been problematic to accurately age. To determine whether telomere length could provide an alternative means of ageing molluscs, we evaluated the relationship between telomere length and age using the commercially important Sydney rock oyster (Saccostrea glomerata). Telomere lengths were estimated from tissues of known age individuals from different age classes, locations and at different sampling times. Telomere length tended to decrease with age only in young oysters less than 18 months old, but no decrease was observed in older oysters aged 2–4 years. Regional and temporal differences in telomere attrition rates were also observed. The relationship between telomere length and age was weak, however, with individuals of identical age varying significantly in their telomere length making it an imprecise age biomarker in oysters.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Jane Clout and Anthony Sciacca for supply of the oysters, Vivek Mitter and Raewyn Street for technical assistance during the project and David Mayer for help with the statistical analyses. Also, we thank the project steering committee members for their support and advice; Melissa Brown, Damien Broderick, Phillip Gaffney, John Russell and Brian Patterson. Comments on the manuscript from Warwick Nash were appreciated. This project was co-funded by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (project number 2007/033).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Molecular Fisheries Laboratory, Agri-Science Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, The University of Queensland, Level 3 Ritchie Building (64A C-Wing), Research Road, Brisbane, 4067, Australia

    Rosamond Godwin & Jennifer Ovenden

  2. Sustainable Fisheries Programme, Agri-Science Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, Southern Fisheries Centre, 13 Beach Rd, PO Box 76, Deception Bay, QLD, 4508, Australia

    Ian Brown

  3. Industry and Investment NSW, Cronulla Fisheries Research Centre of Excellence, PO Box 21, Cronulla, NSW, 2230, Australia

    Steven Montgomery

  4. Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 49, Hobart, 7001, Australia

    Stewart Frusher

  5. School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Timothy Green

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  1. Rosamond Godwin
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  2. Ian Brown
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  3. Steven Montgomery
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Correspondence to Rosamond Godwin.

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Communicated by R. H. Richmond.

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Godwin, R., Brown, I., Montgomery, S. et al. Telomere dynamics in the Sydney rock oyster (Saccostrea glomerata): an investigation into the effects of age, tissue type, location and time of sampling. Mar Biol 159, 77–86 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1791-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1791-7

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