| The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas is the most cultivated marine species in the world (4.2 million tonnes for a turnover of 3.5 billion US dollars according to the FAO 2005). Flat oyster culture is one of the components of the French economic activity. However, for more than 15 years, farms have had to face some summer mortality episodes (30 %-60 %), that could jeopardize European mollusc culture competitivity. More than the economical importance of C. gigas, which justifies a great research effort, oysters constitute a study model of the complex physiological and genetic basis (i.e. growth, reproduction, and survival) strongly correlated to the oyster's response to different environmental conditions. One of the considered solutions is the selection of... |
