Abstract
Ocean temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are predicted to increase by 2oC by 2050, and over the next 100 years, global warming is expected to cause additional increases by as much as 2oC to 4oC. In this study, pigment concentrations were used to determine the effects of temperature and salinity stress on the sponge Cliona celata. Pigments extracted from sponge tissue were analyzed using HPLC; no significant losses in pigments occurred at temperatures of 18oC, 25oC, 31oC, and 33oC and practical salinities of 22, 32, and 42, indicating a high threshold to thermal and salinity stresses. Further, we report for the first time the existence of this species in the jetties of Texas, representing a new range in habitat. These sponges may become more dominant in reef habitats and may rapidly colonize new locations as corals worldwide suffer from bleaching.
Highlights
Changes in sea surface temperatures (SST; Cane et al, 1997) caused by significant changes in global weather and climate patterns, coupled with pollution associated with the industrial revolution, are causing increases in the concentration of greenhouse gases (IPCC, 2007) worldwide
Maximum peak absorption of extracted pigments were detected by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) from sponge cores using acetonitrile and water with 0.1% Triflouracetic acid (TFA) 3.75 min
This study has presented novel findings regarding C. celata
Summary
Changes in sea surface temperatures (SST; Cane et al, 1997) caused by significant changes in global weather and climate patterns, coupled with pollution associated with the industrial revolution, are causing increases in the concentration of greenhouse gases (IPCC, 2007) worldwide. In the last 140 yrs, SSTs have increased by an average of 1°C (Moberg et al, 2005; Miller et al, 2005; Huber et al, 2006) This seemingly minor increase in ocean temperature is having significant consequences including the loss of polar ice through melting and rupturing in the arctic regions (Vincent et al, 2001; van der Veen, 2001), increases in disease incidences and soaring wildlife extinction rates around the world (Bradshaw et al, 2009), and a collapse of reef ecosystems worldwide caused by bleaching (Strychar and Sammarco, 2009). Symptoms of bleaching are not solely observed in coral species, but include sea anemones, zoanthids, bivalves (Tridacna; Gomez and Mingoa-Licuanan, 1998), foraminiferans (Richardson, 2009), and sponges (Vicente, 1990; Fromont and Garson, 1999)
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