Laboratory and Field Culture of Larvae of The Slipper Limpet, Crepidula fornicata

JoVE Journal > Biology

Biologie

Laboratory and Field Culture of Larvae of The Slipper Limpet, Crepidula fornicata

Published: January 05, 2024

doi:

10.3791/66208

Anthony Pires

¹Department of Biology,Dickinson College

Summary

The paper presents methods for larval culture of the gastropod Crepidula fornicata in a small-volume laboratory-scale system and in an ambient-seawater mesocosm system that can be deployed in the field.

Abstract

The calyptraeid gastropod mollusk, Crepidula fornicata, has been widely used for studies of larval developmental biology, physiology, and ecology. Brooded veliger larvae of this species were collected by siphoning onto a sieve after natural release by adults, distributed into the culture at a density of 200/L, and fed with Isochrysis galbana (strain T-ISO) at 1 x 10⁵ cells/mL. Shell growth and acquisition of competence for metamorphosis were documented for sibling larvae reared in ventilated 800 mL cultures designed for equilibration to ambient air or to defined atmospheric gas mixtures. Contrasting with these laboratory culture conditions; growth and competence data were also collected for larvae reared in a 15 L flow-through ambient seawater mesocosm located in a field population of reproductive adults. Growth rates and timing of metamorphic competence in the laboratory cultures were similar to those reported in previously published studies. Larvae reared in the field mesocosm grew much faster and metamorphosed sooner than reported for any laboratory studies. Together, these methods are suited for exploring larval development under predetermined controlled conditions in the laboratory as well as under naturally occurring conditions in the field.

Introduction

The slipper limpet, Crepidula fornicata (Gastropoda: Calyptraeidae), is well-represented in current and historical research literature because of its utility as a developmental model and because of its widespread impacts as an invasive species. It served as a foundational example of spiralian development in the classic age of experimental embryology¹ and has experienced a rebirth of interest with the application of modern imaging and genomic tools to dissect mechanisms of lophotrochozoan early development²^,³. At the other end of its life history, other investigations have focused on the impacts of adult populations of this ecosystem engineer in temperate coastal marine environments far removed from its original distribution in eastern North America⁴^,⁵. In between embryo and adult, the veliger larvae of this species have been subjects of numerous studies of larval development and ecology, especially of factors influencing growth and acquisition of competence for metamorphosis, the internal and external cues mediating larval settlement, and the effects of larval experience on juvenile performance⁶^,⁷^,⁸^,⁹^,¹⁰^,¹¹. Recent studies have revealed the resilience of larvae and juveniles of C. fornicata to ocean acidification, yet another avenue for productive research use of this animal¹²^,¹³^,¹⁴^,¹⁵^,¹⁶.

An advantage of C. fornicata for studies of marine larval biology is that it is relatively easy to grow in the laboratory in natural or artificial seawater on a unialgal diet of the flagellate Isochrysis galbana. Culture methods have been detailed by the author in an earlier methods-focused print publication¹⁷. The reasons for the present contribution are twofold. First, the routine physical maneuvers involved in establishing and caring for cultures are conceptually very simple but difficult to perform correctly without hands-on or video demonstration. Second, two variations on previously described culture methods are described that are especially suited to laboratory and field studies of responses to environmental stressors such as ocean acidification, eutrophication, and oxygen depletion. The first of these is a low-volume (800 mL) culture system suited for manipulation of pH and dissolved oxygen in seawater via small volumes of bubbled gases, and the second is a larger volume (15 L) mesocosm system that can be placed in the field and that allows free exchange of ambient seawater.

Protocol

1. Routine maneuvers for establishing and maintaining larval cultures of C. fornicata NOTE: This method starts with a gallon (3.8 L) jar of seawater containing adult C. fornicata that have just released brooded veliger larvae. Adults may be field-collected or obtained from a supplier given in the Table of Materials. The adults are protandrous hermaphrodites that live in mating stacks with sessile brooding females at the bottom of the stack. Do …

Representative Results

Larval growth and acquisition of competence for metamorphosis were measured in 4 simultaneous replicates of the 800 mL ventilated cultures, each containing 160 larvae, derived from a sibling batch of larvae that hatched from a single egg mass and that were fed Isochrysis galbana at a density of 1 x 105 cells/mL. The pH was 7.9-8.0, temperature was 20-21 °C, and salinity was 30-31 ppt. Growth and metamorphosis were also determined with a different sibling batch of larvae in a single trial of the 1…

Discussion

Although larvae of C. fornicata are relatively easy to culture compared to other planktotrophic marine larvae, attention to fundamentals of good culture practice is still essential¹⁷^,¹⁹. Healthy larvae should begin to feed immediately after hatching. This is easily verified on the day after hatching by observing their full guts, packed with algal cells, using a dissecting microscope with transillumination. Shells of healthy larvae should remain clean, br…

Divulgations

The authors have nothing to disclose.

Acknowledgements

Initial development of the low-volume ventilated culture system was supported in part by the National Science Foundation (CRI-OA-1416690 to Dickinson College). Dr. Lauren Mullineaux kindly provided laboratory facilities at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where the data presented for this system (Figure 4) was collected.

Materials

Bucket, Polyethylene, 7 gallon	US Plastic	16916	for mesocosm
Crepidula fornicata	Marine Biological Laboratory, Marine Resources Center	760	adult broodstock
Hotmelt glue, Infinity Supertac 500	Hotmelt.com	INFINITY IM-SUPERTAC-500-12-1LB	good for bonding polyethylene
Jar, glass, 32 oz, with polypropylene lid	Uline	S-19316P-W	for 800 mL ventilated cultures
Nitex mesh, 236 µm	Dynamic Aqua Supply Ltd.	NTX236-136	for mesocosm
Nut, hex, nylon, 10-32 thread	Home Depot	1004554441	for fastening tubing barbs
Rivets, nylon, blind, 15/64" diameter, 5/32"-5/16" grip range, pack of 8	NAPA auto parts	BK 6652844	4 packs needed per mesocosm
Tubing barb 1/8" x 10-32 thread	US Plastic	65593	2 needed per culture jar
Tubing, polyethylene, 2.08 mm OD	Fisher Scientific	14-170-11G	for ventilating gas stream inside culture jar
Tubing, Tygon, 1/8"x3/16"x1/32"	US Plastic	57810	fits barbs for ventilating cultures

References

Conklin, E. G. The embryology of Crepidula: a contribution to the cell lineage and early development of some marine gastropods. Gasteropods. , (1897).
Henry, J. J., Collin, R., Perry, K. J. The slipper snail, Crepidula: an emerging lophotrochozoan model system. Biol Bull. 218 (3), 211-229 (2010).
Lyons, D. C., Henry, J. Q. Slipper snail tales: how Crepidula fornicata and Crepidula atrasolea became model molluscs. Curr Top Dev Biol. 147, 375-399 (2022).
Blanchard, M. Spread of the slipper limpet Crepidula fornicata (L. 1758) in Europe. Current state and consequences. ScientiaMarina. 61 (Suppl 2), 109-118 (1997).
Beninger, P., Valdizan, A., Decottigies, P., Cognie, B. Field reproductive dynamics of the invasive slipper limpet, Crepidula fornicata. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol. 390 (2), 179-187 (2010).
Pechenik, J. A. The relationship between temperature, growth rate, and duration of planktonic life for larvae of the gastropod Crepidula fornicata (L.). J Exp Mar Biol Ecol. 74 (3), 241-257 (1984).
Pechenik, J. A. Latent effects: surprising consequences of embryonic and larval experience on life after metamorphosis. Evol Ecol Marine Invertebrate Larvae. , 208-225 (2018).
Pechenik, J. A., Gee, C. C. Onset of metamorphic competence in larvae of the gastropod Crepidula fornicata (L.), judged by a natural and an artificial cue. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol. 167 (1), 59-72 (1993).
Taris, M., Comtet, T., Viard, F. Inhibitory function of nitric oxide on the onset of metamorphosis in competent larvae of Crepidula fornicata: A transcriptional perspective. Mar Genomics. 2 (3-4), 161-167 (2009).
Penniman, J. R., Doll, M. K., Pires, A. Neural correlates of settlement in veliger larvae of the gastropod, Crepidula fornicata. Invertebrate Biol. 132 (1), 14-26 (2013).
Meyer-Kaiser, K. S. Carryover effects of brooding conditions on larvae in the slipper limpet Crepidula fornicata. Mar Ecol Prog Ser. 643, 87-97 (2020).
Noisette, F., et al. Does encapsulation protect embryos from the effects of ocean acidification? The example of Crepidula fornicata. PLoS One. 9 (3), e93021 (2014).
Kriefall, N. G., Pechenik, J. A., Pires, A., Davies, S. W. Resilience of Atlantic slippersnail Crepidula fornicata larvae in the face of severe coastal acidification. Front in Mar Sci. 5, 312 (2018).
Bogan, S. N., McMahon, J. B., Pechenik, J. A., Pires, A. Legacy of multiple stressors: Responses of gastropod larvae and juveniles to ocean acidification and nutrition. Biol Bull. 236 (3), 159-173 (2019).
Pechenik, J. A., et al. Impact of ocean acidification on growth, onset of competence, and perception of cues for metamorphosis in larvae of the slippershell snail, Crepidula fornicata. Mar Biol. 166, 128 (2019).
Reyes, C. L., et al. The marine gastropod Crepidula fornicata remains resilient to ocean acidification across two life history stages. Front Physiol. 12, 702864 (2021).
Pires, A. Artificial seawater culture of the gastropod Crepidula fornicata for studies of larval settlement and metamorphosis. In: Carroll, D., Stricker, S. (eds) Developmental biology of the sea urchin and other marine invertebrates. Methods Mol Biol. 1128, 35-44 (2014).
Bashevkin, S. M., Pechenik, J. A. The interactive influence of temperature and salinity on larval and juvenile growth in the gastropod Crepidula fornicata (L.). J Exp Mar Biol Ecol. 470, 78-91 (2015).
Strathmann, M. F. . Reproduction and Development of Marine Invertebrates of the Northern Pacific Coast: Data and Methods for the Study of Eggs, Embryos, and Larvae. , (1987).
Clark, H. R., Gobler, C. J. Diurnal fluctuations in CO2 and dissolved oxygen concentrations do not provide a refuge from hypoxia and acidification for early-life-stage bivalves. Mar Ecol Prog Ser. 558, 43114 (2016).
Gobler, C. J., Baumann, H. Hypoxia and acidification in ocean ecosystems: coupled dynamics and effects on marine life. Biol Lett. 12 (5), 20150976 (2016).
Pechenik, J. A., Hilbish, T. J., Eyster, L. S., Marshall, D. Relationship between larval and juvenile growth rates in two marine gastropods, Crepidula plana and C. fornicata. Mar Biol. 125, 119-127 (1996).
Padilla, D. K., McCann, M. J., McCarty Glenn, M., Hooks, A. P., Shumway, S. E. Effect of food on metamorphic competence in the model system Crepidula fornicata. Biol Bull. 227 (3), 242-251 (2014).
Wallace, R. B., Baumann, H., Grear, J. S., Aller, R. C., Gobler, C. J. Coastal ocean acidification: the other eutrophication problem. Estuarine, Coast Shelf Sci. 148, 1-13 (2014).