Selectively bred oysters can alter their biomineralization pathways, promoting resilience to environmental acidification.

Commercial shellfish aquaculture is vulnerable to the impacts of ocean acidification driven by increasing carbon dioxide (CO ) absorption by the ocean as well as to coastal acidification driven by land run off and rising sea level. These drivers of environmental acidification have deleterious effects on biomineralization. We investigated shell biomineralization of selectively bred and wild-type families of the Sydney rock oyster Saccostrea glomerata in a study of oysters being farmed in estuaries at aquaculture leases differing in environmental acidification.

Coastal acidification impacts on shell mineral structure of bivalve mollusks.

Ocean acidification is occurring globally through increasing CO absorption into the oceans creating particular concern for calcifying species. In addition to ocean acidification, near shore marine habitats are exposed to the deleterious effects of runoff from acid sulfate soils which also decreases environmental pH. This coastal acidification is being exacerbated by climate change-driven sea-level rise and catchment-driven flooding.