Sand smelt ability to cope and recover from ocean's elevated CO 2 levels

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
• Main Authors: Silva, Cátia S. E., Lemos, Marco F. L., Faria, Ana M., Lopes, Ana F., Mendes, Susana, Gonçalves, Emanuel J., Novais, Sara C.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2018
• Subjects: Atherina presbyter; Biomarkers; Development; Lateralization; Ocean acidification; Hypercapnia
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/3232; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.02.011

This study had the support of Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) through the project ACIDLARVAE (PTDC/MAR- EST/ 4627/2012), project PROTEOME (PTDC/AAG-MAA/1302/2014), and the Strategic Project UID/MAR/04292/2013, and grants awarded to Cátia Silva, Ana M. Faria, and Sara C. Novais (SFRH/BD/118195/2016, SFRH/BPD/68673/2010, and SFRH/BPD/94500/2013, respectively). The authors also wish to acknowledge the Integrated Programme of SR &TD “Smart Valorization of Endogenous Marine Biological Resources Under a Changing Climate” (reference Centro-01-0145-FEDER000018), co-funded by Centro 2020 program, Portugal 2020, European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund. Considered a major environmental concern, ocean acidification has induced a recent research boost into effects on marine biodiversity and possible ecological, physiological, and behavioural impacts. Although the majority of literature indicate negative effects of future acidification scenarios, most studies are conducted for just a few days or weeks, which may be insufficient to detect the capacity of an organism to adjust to environmental changes through phenotypic plasticity. Here, the effects and the capacity of sand smelt larvae Atherina presbyter to cope and recover (through a treatment combination strategy) from short (15 days) and long-term exposure (45 days) to increasing pCO2 levels (control: ~515 μatm, pH = 8.07; medium: ~940 μatm, pH = 7.84; high: ~1500 μatm, pH = 7.66) were measured, addressing larval development traits, behavioural lateralization, and biochemical biomarkers related with oxidative stress and damage, and energy metabolism and reserves. Although behavioural lateralization was not affected by high pCO2 exposure, morphometric changes, energetic costs, and oxidative stress damage were impacted differently through different exposures periods. Generally, short-time exposures led to different responses to either medium or high pCO2 levels (e.g. development, cellular metabolism, or damage), while on the long-term ...