What environmental threat causes the accumulation of toxins like saxitoxin in clam tissues following certain marine algae blooms?
Answer
Red tide
Harmful algal blooms, specifically red tide, release potent toxins such as saxitoxin which accumulate in the clam's tissues as it filters water, rendering the shellfish dangerous if consumed.
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Related Questions
What is the scientific name for the hard clam central to North American Eastern Seaboard culinary tradition?Which difference is cited as the most striking feature immediately separating the hard clam from the ocean quahog?Which culinary size designation applies to the largest hard clams, best suited for traditional New England clam chowder?Approximately how far can a hard clam move across the sandy ocean floor during a fifteen-minute period?What biological term describes the reproductive strategy where a hard clam starts life as male and may later transition to female?What is the name given to the microscopic, free-swimming larvae that hatch from the hard clam egg within 12 to 14 hours?What substance makes up the primary composition of the hard clam's thick, robust shell?What Native American word is considered the likely linguistic ancestor of the modern term 'Quahog'?What defense mechanism, aside from burrowing, might a scared hard clam deploy to create a momentary diversion?What environmental threat causes the accumulation of toxins like saxitoxin in clam tissues following certain marine algae blooms?What key ecological advantage do farmed hard clams offer regarding their diet once they are past the larval stage?How did early English settlers generally view the hard clam when they first arrived?