Genetic Structure and Diversity in Wild and Cultivated Populations of the Mangrove Oyster Crassostrea gasar from Southern Brazil.

The mangrove oyster (Crassostrea gasar) is Brazil's second most cultured species and presents a high potential for aquaculture. However, artificial selection in a highly fecund species and significant variance in reproductive success can result in the loss of genetic diversity and increases the inbreeding rate, especially in cultivated populations. In this study, we investigated the genetic structure and diversity of C.

Morphological and functional characterization of the hemocytes from the pearl oyster Pteria hirundo and their immune responses against Vibrio infections.

Hemocyte populations of the pearl oyster Pteria hirundo were characterized at morphological, ultrastructural and functional levels. Three main hemocyte populations were identified: hyalinocytes, granulocytes and blast-like cells. Hyalinocytes were the most abundant population (88.