The invasive Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, in Scandinavia coastal waters:A risk assessment on the impact in different habitats and climate conditions

A massive invasion of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, has occurred in Scandinavia during the last decade. The introduction and dispersal was described through collaboration between scientists from Sweden, Denmark and Norway. This work has been followed up by national activities that clearly visualized the need for a continued collaboration between scientists in the Scandinavian countries, as the bio-invasion is a cross-border issue and management actions then have to be synchronized, and based on a “state of the art” knowledge of the Scandinavian bio-invasion of the species. The risk assessment presented in this report is based on available scientific literature, expert judgments and data collected during a Nordic collaboration project on Pacific oysters in 2011 – 2013

Impact of an icy winter on the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas Thunberg, 1793) populations in Scandinavia

The Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) is an invasive species that has dispersed into Scandinavia during the last few decades. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of extreme winter conditions on the mortality of the Pacific oyster in Scandinavia. The study was done by compiling mortality data from independent surveys in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Winter mortality of the oysters increased with latitude, which can be explained by the colder climate experienced at higher latitudes. Mortality was also found to be affected by site specific conditions such as water depth at the sampling sites of oyster populations. Despite the severe winter conditions of 2009/2010 causing high mortality, the Pacific oyster still exists in large numbers in Scandinavia. The present investigation indicates that extreme winter onditions may result in a temporary reduction of the density of the Pacific oyster, but that the species can be expected to continue its invasion of Scandinavian coastal areas.publishedVersio

Genome-wide association study of angioedema induced by angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker treatment

Angioedema in the mouth or upper airways is a feared adverse reaction to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) and angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) treatment, which is used for hypertension, heart failure and diabetes complications. This candidate gene and genome-wide association study aimed to identify genetic variants predisposing to angioedema induced by these drugs. The discovery cohort consisted of 173 cases and 4890 controls recruited in Sweden. In the candidate gene analysis, ETV6, BDKRB2, MME, and PRKCQ were nominally associated with angioedema (p < 0.05), but did not pass Bonferroni correction for multiple testing (p < 2.89 × 10−5). In the genome-wide analysis, intronic variants in the calcium-activated potassium channel subunit alpha-1 (KCNMA1) gene on chromosome 10 were significantly associated with angioedema (p < 5 × 10−8). Whilst the top KCNMA1 hit was not significant in the replication cohort (413 cases and 599 ACEi-exposed controls from the US and Northern Europe), a meta-analysis of the replication and discovery cohorts (in total 586 cases and 1944 ACEi-exposed controls) revealed that each variant allele increased the odds of experiencing angioedema 1.62 times (95% confidence interval 1.05–2.50, p = 0.030). Associated KCNMA1 variants are not known to be functional, but are in linkage disequilibrium with variants in transcription factor binding sites active in relevant tissues. In summary, our data suggest that common variation in KCNMA1 is associated with risk of angioedema induced by ACEi or ARB treatment. Future whole exome or genome sequencing studies will show whether rare variants in KCNMA1 or other genes contribute to the risk of ACEi- and ARB-induced angioedema

Økosystemtjenester i Nordsjøen – Skagerrak Beskrivelse, vurdering og verdsetting

Klima- og forurensningsdirektoratet på vegne av arbeidsgruppen for verdiskaping og samfunnsmessige forhold nedsatt av faggruppen for Nordsjøen-Skagerra

Increased spreading potential of the invasive Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) at its northern distribution limit in Europe due to warmer climate

The Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, is an invasive species with a large increase in prevalence globally, and with potential of spreading even more because of climate-change effects. We examined how future climate might affect its potential for spread at its northern distribution limit in a temperate ecoregion, by simulating spawning, larval dispersal, larvae settlement and adult survival, given different climate scenarios. The simulations were performed using a three-dimensional current model (GEMSS) and a specially designed oyster module, applied at the study site in the Oslofjord, Norway. The simulations showed that the expected climate in the middle and latter part of this century, with warmer summers and winters, very likely will lead to increased prevalence of the species within northern Europe. The warmer summers will more often provide favourable temperature conditions for oyster spawning and settlement, and warmer winters will more seldom cause high winter mortality. The simulations gave a realistic picture of the relative frequency and the main distribution pattern observed, given the current climate. The future climate-scenario simulations indicated influence of local differences in temperature on the dispersal pattern. The study indicated increased dispersal and successful establishment at the outer edge of the species present distribution in the future and, hence, an increased risk to native species and habitats in temperate regions.acceptedVersio

Winter mortality of Ostrea edulis and Crassostrea gigas – Some observations from the southern coast of Norway

Poster EMBS 45, 23 - 27 August, 2010, School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

Rapid expansion of the invasive oyster Crassostrea gigas at its northern distribution limit in Europe: Naturally dispersed or introduced?

The Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, was introduced to Europe for aquaculture purposes, and has had a rapid and unforeseen northward expansion in northern Europe. The recent dramatic increase in number of C. gigas populations along the species' northern distribution limit has questioned the efficiency of Skagerrak as a dispersal barrier for transport and survival of larvae. We investigated the genetic connectivity and possible spreading patterns between Pacific oyster populations on the southern Norwegian coast (4 localities) and Swedish and Danish populations by means of DNA microsatellite analysis of adult oysters, and by simulating larvae drift. In the simulations we used a 3D oceanographic model to explore the influence of recent climate change (1990±2010) on development, survival, and successful spreading of Danish and Swedish Pacific oyster larvae to Norwegian coastal waters. The simulations indicated adequate temperature conditions for development, survival, and settlement of larvae across the Skagerrak in warm years since 2000. However, microsatellite genotyping revealed genetic differences between the Norwegian populations, and between the Norwegian populations and the Swedish and Danish populations, the latter two populations being more similar. This patchwork pattern of genetic dissimilarity among the Norwegian populations points towards multiple local introduction routes rather than the commonly assumed unidirectional entry of larvae drifted from Denmark and Sweden. Alternative origins of introduction and implications for management, such as forecasting and possible mitigation actions, are discussed

Genetic variants associated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor-induced cough : a genome-wide association study in a Swedish population

Aim: We conducted a genome-wide association study on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor-induced cough and used our dataset to replicate candidate genes iden-tified in previous studies. Patients &amp; methods: A total of 124 patients and 1345 treated controls were genotyped using Illumina arrays. The genome-wide significance level was set to p &lt; 5 x 10(-8). Results: We identified nearly genome-wide significant associations in CLASP1, PDE11A, KCNMB2, TGFA, SLC38A6 and MMP16. The strongest association was with rs62151109 in CLASP1 (odds ratio: 3.97; p = 9.44 x 10(-8)). All top hits except two were located in intronic or noncoding DNA regions. None of the candidate genes were significantly associated in our study. Conclusion: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor-induced cough is potentially associated with genes that are independent of bradykinin pathways

Genotyping of 262 <i>Crassostrea gigas</i> individuals using six microsatellite loci in two multiplex PCR.

<p>Genotyping of 262 <i>Crassostrea gigas</i> individuals using six microsatellite loci in two multiplex PCR.</p

Rapid expansion of the invasive oyster <i>Crassostrea gigas</i> at its northern distribution limit in Europe: Naturally dispersed or introduced?

<div><p>The Pacific oyster, <i>Crassostrea gigas</i>, was introduced to Europe for aquaculture purposes, and has had a rapid and unforeseen northward expansion in northern Europe. The recent dramatic increase in number of <i>C</i>. <i>gigas</i> populations along the species’ northern distribution limit has questioned the efficiency of Skagerrak as a dispersal barrier for transport and survival of larvae. We investigated the genetic connectivity and possible spreading patterns between Pacific oyster populations on the southern Norwegian coast (4 localities) and Swedish and Danish populations by means of DNA microsatellite analysis of adult oysters, and by simulating larvae drift. In the simulations we used a 3D oceanographic model to explore the influence of recent climate change (1990–2010) on development, survival, and successful spreading of Danish and Swedish Pacific oyster larvae to Norwegian coastal waters. The simulations indicated adequate temperature conditions for development, survival, and settlement of larvae across the Skagerrak in warm years since 2000. However, microsatellite genotyping revealed genetic differences between the Norwegian populations, and between the Norwegian populations and the Swedish and Danish populations, the latter two populations being more similar. This patchwork pattern of genetic dissimilarity among the Norwegian populations points towards multiple local introduction routes rather than the commonly assumed unidirectional entry of larvae drifted from Denmark and Sweden. Alternative origins of introduction and implications for management, such as forecasting and possible mitigation actions, are discussed.</p></div