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Adult acclimation to combined temperature and p H stressors significantly enhances reproductive outcomes compared to short‐term exposures
Author(s) -
Suckling Coleen C.,
Clark Melody S.,
Richard Joelle,
Morley Simon A.,
Thorne Michael A. S.,
Harper Elizabeth M.,
Peck Lloyd S.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of animal ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.134
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1365-2656
pISSN - 0021-8790
DOI - 10.1111/1365-2656.12316
Subject(s) - biology , acclimatization , hatching , gonad , sea urchin , larva , zoology , ecology , endocrinology
Summary This study examined the effects of long‐term culture under altered conditions on the A ntarctic sea urchin, S terechinus neumayeri . S terechinus neumayeri was cultured under the combined environmental stressors of lowered pH (−0·3 and −0·5 p H units) and increased temperature (+2 °C) for 2 years. This time‐scale covered two full reproductive cycles in this species and analyses included studies on both adult metabolism and larval development. Adults took at least 6–8 months to acclimate to the altered conditions, but beyond this, there was no detectable effect of temperature or p H . Animals were spawned after 6 and 17 months exposure to altered conditions, with markedly different outcomes. At 6 months, the percentage hatching and larval survival rates were greatest in the animals kept at 0 °C under current pH conditions, whilst those under lowered pH and +2 °C performed significantly less well. After 17 months, performance was not significantly different across treatments, including controls. However, under the altered conditions urchins produced larger eggs compared with control animals. These data show that under long‐term culture adult S . neumayeri appear to acclimate their metabolic and reproductive physiology to the combined stressors of altered p H and increased temperature, with relatively little measureable effect. They also emphasize the importance of long‐term studies in evaluating effects of altered p H , particularly in slow developing marine species with long gonad maturation times, as the effects of altered conditions cannot be accurately evaluated unless gonads have fully matured under the new conditions.