Kuku (green-lipped mussel, Perna canaliculus) are a New Zealand-endemic species with key cultural and ecological roles, and the most valuable part of our aquaculture industry. The kuku is experiencing the hardships of a changing climate throughout its life cycle, showing the highest vulnerability during larval development. Some families of kuku, however, show resilience to heat and ocean acidification stresses even during this crucial stage. The basis of this resilience is poorly understood, but early developmental processes have been implicated.
To understand and compare development at fine detail, we are using both single cell RNA sequencing and “bulk” transcriptomic approaches, on samples derived from families of contrasting resilience to climate change stressors. Comparing samples taken at identical time points, we will be able to identify heterochronous development, differential expression of genes, and alterations in cellular processes.
Here we show our results to date. These include the developmental atlas of 48-hour old kuku, generated using SPLiTseq and ACME dissociation, and more traditional RNAseq datasets taken at a range of ages spanning development. This work will provide fundamental insights into the process of embryogenesis in bivalve molluscs, as well as allowing us to observe the impact of climate change at single cell resolution.