Abstract
Antarctic marine organisms are adapted to an extreme environment, characterized by a very low but stable temperature and a strong seasonality in food availability arousing from variations in day length. Ocean organisms are particularly vulnerable to global climate change with some regions being impacted by temperature increase and changes in primary production. Climate change also affects the biotic components of marine ecosystems and has an impact on the distribution and seasonal physiology of Antarctic marine organisms. Knowledge on the impact of climate change in key species is highly important because their performance affects ecosystem functioning. To predict the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems, a holistic understanding of the life history and physiology of Antarctic key species is urgently needed. DEB (Dynamic Energy Budget) theory captures the metabolic processes of an organism through its entire life cycle as a function of temperature and food availability. The DEB model is a tool that can be used to model lifetime feeding, growth, reproduction, and their responses to changes in biotic and abiotic conditions. In this study, we estimate the DEB model parameters for the bivalve Laternula elliptica using literature-extracted and field data. The DEB model we present here aims at better understanding the biology of L. elliptica and its levels of adaptation to its habitat with a special focus on food seasonality. The model parameters describe a metabolism specifically adapted to low temperatures, with a low maintenance cost and a high capacity to uptake and mobilise energy, providing this organism with a level of energetic performance matching that of related species from temperate regions. It was also found that L. elliptica has a large energy reserve that allows enduring long periods of starvation. Additionally, we applied DEB parameters to time-series data on biological traits (organism condition, gonad growth) to describe the effect of a varying environment in food and temperature on the organism condition and energy use. The DEB model developed here for L. elliptica allowed us to improve benchmark knowledge on the ecophysiology of this key species, providing new insights in the role of food availability and temperature on its life cycle and reproduction strategy.
Highlights
Antarctica includes some of the most challenging habitats on Earth [1]
The present study provides the parametrisation of a Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) model for Laternula elliptica, a common Antarctic suspension feeding bivalve which plays a key role both structurally and functionally in shallow Antarctic marine ecosystems [21]
Changes in physiological performance will result in changes on key species population dynamics, affecting recruitment and/or survival [63,64] and species key functions that will impact ecosystem structure and functioning [65]
Summary
Antarctica includes some of the most challenging habitats on Earth [1] They are characterised by low temperatures and a very marked seasonality in day length, leading to large variations in ice cover and phytoplankton biomass [2]. Adaptation to such conditions has resulted in organisms generally displaying a poor capacity to cope with temperature elevations [3], yet capable of surviving low-food availability over long periods [4]. This knowledge will provide a valuable benchmark to quantify species population dynamics, performance, and functional role within a given ecosystem, as well as a ground-truthing ongoing modeling efforts [12]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
