Critical thermal maxima of common rocky intertidal fish and shrimps — A preliminary assessment

Abstract

Rocky shore ecosystems are considered sentinels of climate warming because they are in close contact with the atmosphere and their shallow waters present low thermal inertia. Concerns on the vulnerability of rocky shore species subject to climate warming make the investigation of their thermal tolerance an urgent topic. The aim of this study was to determine the upper thermal limits of species that are common in tidal pools of rocky shore ecosystems of the Northeast Atlantic. The method used was the Critical Thermal Maximum (CTMax), which allowed the ranking of species in terms of their upper thermal limits as follows: Coryphoblennius galerita (32.0°C), Palaemon serratus (33.0°C), Gobius paganellus (33.1°C), Palaemon elegans (33.4°C), Lipophrys pholis (33.9°C) and Paralipophrys trigloides (35.0°C). Intraspecific variability was always lower than 2%.