Competitive interactions moderate the effects of elevated temperature and atmospheric CO2 on the health and functioning of oysters

Marine ecology progress series

, Bas Boots¹  Dannielle Senga Green²  , Chris Hauton³  *, Hazel Christie³  , Martin Solan³  , Nicola Pratt³  , Jasmin A. Godbold³ 

[1] Department of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge Campus, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK;Department of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge Campus, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK. Biogeochemistry Research Group, Geography Department, School of Natural Science, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland;Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton National Oceanography Centre Southampton, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK

关键词: Warming;    Ocean acidification;    Intraspecific competition;    Interspecific competition;    Species interactions;    Complementarity;   

DOI  :  10.3354/meps12344

学科分类：海洋学与技术

来源: Inter-Research

【 摘 要 】

Global increases in sea temperatures and atmospheric concentrations of CO₂ may affect the health of calcifying shellfish. Little is known, however, about how competitive interactions within and between species may influence how species respond to multiple stressors. We experimentally assessed separate and combined effects of temperature (12 or 16°C) and atmospheric CO₂ concentrations (400 and 1000 ppm) on the health and biological functioning of native (Ostrea edulis) and invasive (Crassostrea gigas) oysters held alone and in intraspecific or interspecific mixtures. We found evidence of reduced phagocytosis under elevated CO₂ and, when combined with increased temperature, a reduction in the number of circulating haemocytes. Generally, C. gigas showed lower respiration rates relative to O. edulis when the species were in intraspecific or interspecific mixtures. In contrast, O. edulis showed a higher respiration rate relative to C. gigas when held in an interspecific mixture and exhibited lower clearance rates when held in intraspecific or interspecific mixtures. Overall, clearance rates of C. gigas were consistently greater than those of O. edulis. Collectively, our findings indicate that a species’ ability to adapt metabolic processes to environmental conditions can be modified by biotic context and may make some species (here, C. gigas) competitively superior and less vulnerable to future climatic scenarios at local scales. If these conclusions are generic, the relative role of species interactions, and other biotic parameters, in altering the outcomes of climate change will require much greater research emphasis.

【 授权许可】

Unknown