Ocean acidification increases susceptibility to sub-zero air temperatures in ecosystem engineers and limits poleward range shifts
Ongoing climate change has caused rapidly increasing temperatures and an unprecedented decline in seawater pH, known as ocean acidification. Increasing temperatures are redistributing species toward higher and cooler latitudes that are most affected by ocean acidification. While the persistence of i...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2023-04-01
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| Series: | eLife |
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| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/81080 |
| _version_ | 1797839300879974400 |
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| author | Jakob Thyrring Colin D Macleod Katie E Marshall Jessica Kennedy Réjean Tremblay Christopher DG Harley |
| author_facet | Jakob Thyrring Colin D Macleod Katie E Marshall Jessica Kennedy Réjean Tremblay Christopher DG Harley |
| author_sort | Jakob Thyrring |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ongoing climate change has caused rapidly increasing temperatures and an unprecedented decline in seawater pH, known as ocean acidification. Increasing temperatures are redistributing species toward higher and cooler latitudes that are most affected by ocean acidification. While the persistence of intertidal species in cold environments is related to their capacity to resist sub-zero air temperatures, studies have never considered the interacting impacts of ocean acidification and freeze stress on species survival and distribution. Here, a full-factorial experiment was used to study whether ocean acidification increases mortality in subtidal Mytilus trossulus and subtidal M. galloprovincialis, and intertidal M. trossulus following sub-zero air temperature exposure. We examined physiological processes behind variation in freeze tolerance using 1H NMR metabolomics, analyses of fatty acids, and amino acid composition. We show that low pH conditions (pH = 7.5) significantly decrease freeze tolerance in both intertidal and subtidal populations of Mytilus spp. Under current day pH conditions (pH = 7.9), intertidal M. trossulus was more freeze tolerant than subtidal M. trossulus and subtidal M. galloprovincialis. Conversely, under low pH conditions, subtidal M. trossulus was more freeze tolerant than the other mussel categories. Differences in the concentration of various metabolites (cryoprotectants) or in the composition of amino acids and fatty acids could not explain the decrease in survival. These results suggest that ocean acidification can offset the poleward range expansions facilitated by warming and that reduced freeze tolerance could result in a range contraction if temperatures become lethal at the equatorward edge. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:55:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-00584e5759cf45b3bb8adb4d85dd0810 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:55:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-00584e5759cf45b3bb8adb4d85dd08102023-04-25T15:22:51ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2023-04-011210.7554/eLife.81080Ocean acidification increases susceptibility to sub-zero air temperatures in ecosystem engineers and limits poleward range shiftsJakob Thyrring0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1029-3105Colin D Macleod1Katie E Marshall2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6991-4957Jessica Kennedy3Réjean Tremblay4Christopher DG Harley5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4099-943XDepartment of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Ecoscience – Marine Ecology & Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, DenmarkDepartment of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, CanadaDepartment of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, CanadaDepartment of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, CanadaInstitut des sciences de la mer, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, CanadaDepartment of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, CanadaOngoing climate change has caused rapidly increasing temperatures and an unprecedented decline in seawater pH, known as ocean acidification. Increasing temperatures are redistributing species toward higher and cooler latitudes that are most affected by ocean acidification. While the persistence of intertidal species in cold environments is related to their capacity to resist sub-zero air temperatures, studies have never considered the interacting impacts of ocean acidification and freeze stress on species survival and distribution. Here, a full-factorial experiment was used to study whether ocean acidification increases mortality in subtidal Mytilus trossulus and subtidal M. galloprovincialis, and intertidal M. trossulus following sub-zero air temperature exposure. We examined physiological processes behind variation in freeze tolerance using 1H NMR metabolomics, analyses of fatty acids, and amino acid composition. We show that low pH conditions (pH = 7.5) significantly decrease freeze tolerance in both intertidal and subtidal populations of Mytilus spp. Under current day pH conditions (pH = 7.9), intertidal M. trossulus was more freeze tolerant than subtidal M. trossulus and subtidal M. galloprovincialis. Conversely, under low pH conditions, subtidal M. trossulus was more freeze tolerant than the other mussel categories. Differences in the concentration of various metabolites (cryoprotectants) or in the composition of amino acids and fatty acids could not explain the decrease in survival. These results suggest that ocean acidification can offset the poleward range expansions facilitated by warming and that reduced freeze tolerance could result in a range contraction if temperatures become lethal at the equatorward edge.https://elifesciences.org/articles/81080blue musselintertidalfatty acidslower lethal temperaturemultiple stressorsthermal tolerance |
| spellingShingle | Jakob Thyrring Colin D Macleod Katie E Marshall Jessica Kennedy Réjean Tremblay Christopher DG Harley Ocean acidification increases susceptibility to sub-zero air temperatures in ecosystem engineers and limits poleward range shifts eLife blue mussel intertidal fatty acids lower lethal temperature multiple stressors thermal tolerance |
| title | Ocean acidification increases susceptibility to sub-zero air temperatures in ecosystem engineers and limits poleward range shifts |
| title_full | Ocean acidification increases susceptibility to sub-zero air temperatures in ecosystem engineers and limits poleward range shifts |
| title_fullStr | Ocean acidification increases susceptibility to sub-zero air temperatures in ecosystem engineers and limits poleward range shifts |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ocean acidification increases susceptibility to sub-zero air temperatures in ecosystem engineers and limits poleward range shifts |
| title_short | Ocean acidification increases susceptibility to sub-zero air temperatures in ecosystem engineers and limits poleward range shifts |
| title_sort | ocean acidification increases susceptibility to sub zero air temperatures in ecosystem engineers and limits poleward range shifts |
| topic | blue mussel intertidal fatty acids lower lethal temperature multiple stressors thermal tolerance |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/81080 |
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