Temperature and pressure tolerance of larvae of Crepidula fornicata (L. 1758) suggests thermal limitation of bathymetric range

Mestre, Nelia Cristina da Costa, Brown, Alastair and Thatje, Sven (2013) Temperature and pressure tolerance of larvae of Crepidula fornicata (L. 1758) suggests thermal limitation of bathymetric range. Marine Biology, 160 (4), 743-750. (doi:10.1007/s00227-012-2128-x).

Abstract

The extant deep-sea fauna is thought to result from recolonisation of this environment by shallow-water organisms following climate-driven mass extinctions. Planktonic larval tolerance to high pressure is considered an important preadaptation for successful deep-sea invasion. In this study, the pressure and temperature tolerance of a species without any known con-familial deep-sea relative were assessed for the first time. Early- and late-veliger larvae of the shallow-water species Crepidula fornicata were subjected to a temperature/hydrostatic pressure regime from 5 to 25°C and from 0.1 to 40 MPa. Although early- and late-veliger survived pressures equivalent to 2000 m water depth or greater at all temperatures, decreased larval activity indicated significant sublethal temperature and pressure effects. Reduced larval activity of early-veliger at low temperatures suggests that the bathymetric range of this species may be thermally constrained. A mechanistic model is proposed to explain the emerging pattern of ontogenetic shifts in pressure tolerance of shallow-water benthic invertebrates.

This record has no associated files available for download.

Contributors

Download statistics