Molecular responses of a key Antarctic species to sedimentation due to rapid climate change

• Published in: Marine Environmental Research
• Main Authors: Ruiz, Micaela Belén, Servetto, Natalia, Alurralde, Roque Gastón, Abele, Doris, Harms, Lars, Sahade, Ricardo Jose, Held, Christoph
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier
• Subjects: RNA-SEQ; CLIMATE CHANGE; FILTER-FEEDER; SEDIMENTATION; STRESS-RESPONSE; ANTARCTICA; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.7; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1; Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Argentina; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11336/203198

Rapid regional warming causing glacial retreat and melting of ice caps in Antarctica leads benthic filter-feeders to be exposed to periods of food shortage and high respiratory impairment as a consequence of seasonal sediment discharge in the West Antarctic Peninsula coastal areas. The molecular physiological response and its fine-tuning allow species to survive acute environmental stress and are thus a prerequisite to longer-term adaptation to changing environments. Under experimental conditions, we analyzed here the metabolic response to changes in suspended sediment concentrations, through transcriptome sequencing and enzymatic measurements in a highly abundant Antarctic ascidian. We found that the mechanisms underlying short-term response to sedimentation in Cnemidocarpa verrucosa sp. A involved apoptosis, immune defense, and general metabolic depression. These mechanisms may be understood as an adaptive protection against sedimentation caused by glacial retreat. This process can strongly contribute to the structuring of future benthic filter-feeder communities in the face of climate change. Fil: Ruiz, Micaela Belén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina Fil: Servetto, Natalia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina Fil: Alurralde, Roque Gastón. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología ...