Transcriptomic response to stress in marine bivalves

Abstract

Marine bivalves have a set of unique capabilities to adapt to the complicated conditions owing to their habitats, living habits and feeding ways. Meanwhile, marine bivalves can be the biosensors to monitor the quality of the intertidal zones or other habitats. It is interesting for every biologist to find out the mechanisms by which organisms adapt to environmental challenges and the factors limiting their adaptive capacities. The development of biotechnology over the past few decades has provided biologists with a vast repertoire of biosensors that allow testing mRNA expression in response to environmental factors. This minireview is focused on the transcriptomic responses to abiotic and biotic stressors in bivalves and the relative methods to provide new perspectives as well as improve applications for bivalve biomonitoring studies.