Climate warming accelerates somatic growth of an Arctic fish species in high-latitude lakes
Abstract High-latitude aquatic ecosystems are responding to rapid climate warming. A longer ice-free season with higher water temperatures may accelerate somatic growth in lake ectotherms, leading to widespread ecological implications. In fish, rising temperatures are expected to boost rates of food...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43654-1 |
| _version_ | 1797452595688636416 |
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| author | Nicholas Kotowych Aslak Smalås Per-Arne Amundsen Raul Primicerio |
| author_facet | Nicholas Kotowych Aslak Smalås Per-Arne Amundsen Raul Primicerio |
| author_sort | Nicholas Kotowych |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract High-latitude aquatic ecosystems are responding to rapid climate warming. A longer ice-free season with higher water temperatures may accelerate somatic growth in lake ectotherms, leading to widespread ecological implications. In fish, rising temperatures are expected to boost rates of food intake and conversion, and predictions based on empirical relationships between temperature and growth suggest a substantial increase in fish growth rates during the last decades. Fish abundance negatively affects growth by limiting food availability. This field study addresses the effects of climate warming on growth of a subarctic population of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus (L.) over nearly 40 years. Juvenile growth of 680 individuals of Arctic charr, was reconstructed by sclerochronological analysis using sagittal otoliths sampled annually from the early 1980s to 2016. Statistical modelling revealed a positive effect of water temperature, and a negative effect of abundance on somatic growth in juvenile individuals. Temperature dependence in growth was significant for average and fast-growing individuals across all investigated age classes. These findings suggest that, as temperatures rise, somatic growth of Arctic charr will increase in high latitude lakes. Climate warming will thus influence cold water fish life history and size-structured interactions, with important consequences for their populations and ecosystems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:10:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-90202581a8ec4c2b9a1298bf5abc3e7c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:10:55Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-90202581a8ec4c2b9a1298bf5abc3e7c2023-11-26T13:23:39ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-10-0113111110.1038/s41598-023-43654-1Climate warming accelerates somatic growth of an Arctic fish species in high-latitude lakesNicholas Kotowych0Aslak Smalås1Per-Arne Amundsen2Raul Primicerio3Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of NorwayFaculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of NorwayFaculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of NorwayFaculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of NorwayAbstract High-latitude aquatic ecosystems are responding to rapid climate warming. A longer ice-free season with higher water temperatures may accelerate somatic growth in lake ectotherms, leading to widespread ecological implications. In fish, rising temperatures are expected to boost rates of food intake and conversion, and predictions based on empirical relationships between temperature and growth suggest a substantial increase in fish growth rates during the last decades. Fish abundance negatively affects growth by limiting food availability. This field study addresses the effects of climate warming on growth of a subarctic population of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus (L.) over nearly 40 years. Juvenile growth of 680 individuals of Arctic charr, was reconstructed by sclerochronological analysis using sagittal otoliths sampled annually from the early 1980s to 2016. Statistical modelling revealed a positive effect of water temperature, and a negative effect of abundance on somatic growth in juvenile individuals. Temperature dependence in growth was significant for average and fast-growing individuals across all investigated age classes. These findings suggest that, as temperatures rise, somatic growth of Arctic charr will increase in high latitude lakes. Climate warming will thus influence cold water fish life history and size-structured interactions, with important consequences for their populations and ecosystems.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43654-1 |
| spellingShingle | Nicholas Kotowych Aslak Smalås Per-Arne Amundsen Raul Primicerio Climate warming accelerates somatic growth of an Arctic fish species in high-latitude lakes Scientific Reports |
| title | Climate warming accelerates somatic growth of an Arctic fish species in high-latitude lakes |
| title_full | Climate warming accelerates somatic growth of an Arctic fish species in high-latitude lakes |
| title_fullStr | Climate warming accelerates somatic growth of an Arctic fish species in high-latitude lakes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate warming accelerates somatic growth of an Arctic fish species in high-latitude lakes |
| title_short | Climate warming accelerates somatic growth of an Arctic fish species in high-latitude lakes |
| title_sort | climate warming accelerates somatic growth of an arctic fish species in high latitude lakes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43654-1 |
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