Transformative Resilience and Sustainable Management of Ruditapes philippinarum

The Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum, is native to the western Pacific and Indian Ocean regions, with a natural distribution spanning from the coasts of the Indian subcontinent through Southeast Asia, China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. The species was accidentally introduced to the Pacific coast of North America in the 1920s–1930s, most likely as a hitchhiker in shipments of Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) seed. From the 1970s onward, it was deliberately introduced to several European countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain, for the purpose of aquaculture diversification. The species’ favourable biological traits, including rapid growth, broad environmental tolerance, high market value, and ease of cultivation in intertidal and shallow subtidal areas, have supported its successful establishment across Europe, North America, and Asia. Today, R. philippinarum has achieved extraordinary global economic importance, ranking as the most extensively cultured bivalve mollusc, with an estimated annual production value exceeding US$7 billion (FAO FishStatJ, accessed 2025). Despite this success, significant knowledge gaps remain, driven by the interacting pressures of climate change, pollution, overexploitation, habitat degradation, invasive species competition, and persistent bottlenecks in hatchery seed supply. Unless these gaps are addressed through integrative research, the long-term sustainability of Manila clam aquaculture and the communities that depend on it may be seriously compromised.
#This Research Topic, “Transformative Resilience, and Sustainable Management of Ruditapes philippinarum,” aims to bring together multidisciplinary research that explores the species’ remarkable physiological adaptability alongside its ecological vulnerabilities. It provides a platform for linking mechanistic insights, from molecular and physiological scales to population and ecosystem levels, with practical, evidence-based management strategies across ecological, physiological, genetic, socio-economic, and governance dimensions. In doing so, this Research Topic addresses challenges and opportunities in Manila clam ecology, physiology, genetics, aquaculture innovation, and sustainable management under current and projected environmental change scenarios.

Key questions addressed by this Research Topic include:
• How does R. philippinarum respond to environmental stressors at the organism and population levels, and what are the physiological and molecular mechanisms (including transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic responses) that underpin its adaptability and define the boundaries of its tolerance?
• What is the role of genetic diversity, population connectivity, and local adaptation in shaping the resilience of R. philippinarum populations, and how can genomic tools inform selective breeding and stock management programmes?
• How do pathogens, parasites, and invasive species influence population dynamics, productivity, and disease risk in R. philippinarum aquaculture and wild fisheries?
• What ecosystem services does R. philippinarum provide, including biofiltration, nutrient cycling, benthic–pelagic coupling, and sediment stabilization, and how are these services modulated by environmental change?
• What innovations in aquaculture technology, including hatchery seed production, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA), and site selection modelling, can enhance the sustainability and productivity of R. philippinarum farming?
• How do regional governance frameworks, co-management models, and stakeholder engagement processes support or undermine the economic viability and ecological sustainability of R. philippinarum production within socio-ecological systems?

This Research Topic adopts an integrative approach to address the critical knowledge gaps that currently constrain Ruditapes philippinarum production and broader bivalve aquaculture sustainability. By synthesizing findings across ecology, physiology, genetics, aquaculture science, socio-economics, and governance, it aims to identify evidence-based solutions that support the long-term viability of the industry under conditions of accelerating environmental change and increasing anthropogenic pressures. The outcomes are intended to inform the development of adaptive, scientifically grounded management strategies for R. philippinarum aquaculture, with direct implications for global food security, coastal livelihoods, and marine ecosystem health.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Bivalve Aquaculture, Biomonitoring, Climate Adaptation, Ecosystem Services, Population Genetics, Socio-Ecological Systems

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.