Climate-related environmental stress in intertidal grazers: scaling-up biochemical responses to assemblage-level processes.

Elena Maggi,Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi,Mario Cappiello,Eleonora Peroni,Francesca Lenzarini,Antonella Del Corso

doi:10.7717/peerj.2533

Elena Maggi, Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2533

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Journal: PeerJ	Publication Date: Oct 20, 2016
Citations: 2	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: CoNISMa, University of Pisa

Abstract

BackgroundOrganisms are facing increasing levels of environmental stress under climate change that may severely affect the functioning of biological systems at different levels of organization. Growing evidence suggests that reduction in body size is a universal response of organisms to global warming. However, a clear understanding of whether extreme climate events will impose selection directly on phenotypic plastic responses and how these responses affect ecological interactions has remained elusive.MethodsWe experimentally investigated the effects of extreme desiccation events on antioxidant defense mechanisms of a rocky intertidal gastropod (Patella ulyssiponensis), and evaluated how these effects scaled-up at the population and assemblage levels.ResultsWith increasing levels of desiccation stress, limpets showed significant lower levels of total glutathione, tended to grow less and had reduced per capita interaction strength on their resources.DiscussionResults suggested that phenotypic plasticity (i.e., reduction in adults’ body size) allowed buffering biochemical responses to stress to scale-up at the assemblage level. Unveiling the linkages among different levels of biological organization is key to develop indicators that can anticipate large-scale ecological impacts of climate change.

Highlights

There is increasing concern among scientists, policy-makers and the general public about the societal and environmental consequences of climate change
Recent models agree that the frequency, intensity and duration of extreme events such as heat waves, droughts and storms are increasing with climate change (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2013)
With extreme climate events becoming more likely, living organisms are facing increasing levels of environmental stress that may severely affect the functioning of biological systems at different levels of organization (Easterling et al, 2000)

Summary

Introduction

There is increasing concern among scientists, policy-makers and the general public about the societal and environmental consequences of climate change. With extreme climate events becoming more likely, living organisms are facing increasing levels of environmental stress that may severely affect the functioning of biological systems at different levels of organization (Easterling et al, 2000). How to cite this article Maggi et al (2016), Climate-related environmental stress in intertidal grazers: scaling-up biochemical responses to assemblage-level processes. Organisms are facing increasing levels of environmental stress under climate change that may severely affect the functioning of biological systems at different levels of organization. Growing evidence suggests that reduction in body size is a universal response of organisms to global warming. Results suggested that phenotypic plasticity (i.e., reduction in adults’ body size) allowed buffering biochemical responses to stress to scale-up at the assemblage level. Unveiling the linkages among different levels of biological organization is key to develop indicators that can anticipate large-scale ecological impacts of climate change

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Conclusion