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Thermal tolerance during early ontogeny in the common whelk Buccinum undatum (Linnaeus 1785); bioenergetics, nurse egg partitioning and developmental success

Thermal tolerance during early ontogeny in the common whelk Buccinum undatum (Linnaeus 1785); bioenergetics, nurse egg partitioning and developmental success
Thermal tolerance during early ontogeny in the common whelk Buccinum undatum (Linnaeus 1785); bioenergetics, nurse egg partitioning and developmental success
Temperature is arguably the primary factor affecting development in ectotherms and, as a result, may be the driving force behind setting species’ geographic limits. The shallow-water gastropod Buccinum undatum is distributed widely throughout the North Atlantic, with an overall annual thermal range of below zero to above 22°C. In UK waters this species is a winter spawner. Egg masses are laid and develop when sea temperatures are at their coolest (4 to 10°C) indicating future climate warming may have the potential to cause range shifts in this species. In order to examine the potential impacts of ocean warming, we investigate the effects of temperature on the early ontogeny of B. undatum across a thermal range of 0 to 22°C. Each egg mass consists of approximately 100 capsules, in which embryos undergo direct development. Successful development was observed at temperatures ranging from 6 to 18?C. Rates of development increased with temperature, but the proportion of each egg mass developing successfully decreased at the same time. With increasing temperature, the number of early veligers developing per capsule decreased and the mean early veliger weight increased. Elemental analysis showed both carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) to increase with temperature in early veligers but not in hatching juveniles, indicating greater energy reserves are accumulated during early ontogeny to compensate for the higher energetic demands of development at higher temperature. The developmental plasticity observed in B. undatum suggests this species to be capable of adapting to temperatures above those it currently experiences in nature. Buccinum undatum may possess a thermal resilience to ocean warming at its current upper temperature distribution limit. This thermal resilience, however, may come at the cost of a reduced offspring number.
1385-1101
32-39
Smith, Kathryn E.
dace2668-69f3-40cc-a526-541c4b41c8b8
Thatje, Sven
f1011fe3-1048-40c0-97c1-e93b796e6533
Hauton, Chris
7706f6ba-4497-42b2-8c6d-00df81676331
Smith, Kathryn E.
dace2668-69f3-40cc-a526-541c4b41c8b8
Thatje, Sven
f1011fe3-1048-40c0-97c1-e93b796e6533
Hauton, Chris
7706f6ba-4497-42b2-8c6d-00df81676331

Smith, Kathryn E., Thatje, Sven and Hauton, Chris (2013) Thermal tolerance during early ontogeny in the common whelk Buccinum undatum (Linnaeus 1785); bioenergetics, nurse egg partitioning and developmental success. Journal of Sea Research, 79, 32-39. (doi:10.1016/j.seares.2013.01.008).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Temperature is arguably the primary factor affecting development in ectotherms and, as a result, may be the driving force behind setting species’ geographic limits. The shallow-water gastropod Buccinum undatum is distributed widely throughout the North Atlantic, with an overall annual thermal range of below zero to above 22°C. In UK waters this species is a winter spawner. Egg masses are laid and develop when sea temperatures are at their coolest (4 to 10°C) indicating future climate warming may have the potential to cause range shifts in this species. In order to examine the potential impacts of ocean warming, we investigate the effects of temperature on the early ontogeny of B. undatum across a thermal range of 0 to 22°C. Each egg mass consists of approximately 100 capsules, in which embryos undergo direct development. Successful development was observed at temperatures ranging from 6 to 18?C. Rates of development increased with temperature, but the proportion of each egg mass developing successfully decreased at the same time. With increasing temperature, the number of early veligers developing per capsule decreased and the mean early veliger weight increased. Elemental analysis showed both carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) to increase with temperature in early veligers but not in hatching juveniles, indicating greater energy reserves are accumulated during early ontogeny to compensate for the higher energetic demands of development at higher temperature. The developmental plasticity observed in B. undatum suggests this species to be capable of adapting to temperatures above those it currently experiences in nature. Buccinum undatum may possess a thermal resilience to ocean warming at its current upper temperature distribution limit. This thermal resilience, however, may come at the cost of a reduced offspring number.

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Published date: May 2013
Organisations: Ocean Biochemistry & Ecosystems

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 344752
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/344752
ISSN: 1385-1101
PURE UUID: 2b76ca01-7dd2-4a85-a7a9-833e8952c311
ORCID for Chris Hauton: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2313-4226

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Date deposited: 30 Oct 2012 09:29
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:52

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Contributors

Author: Kathryn E. Smith
Author: Sven Thatje
Author: Chris Hauton ORCID iD

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