Abstract
Climate change due to anthropogenic activity will continue to alter the chemistry of the oceans. Future climate scenarios indicate that sub-tropical oceans will become more acidic, and the temperature and salinity will increase relative to current conditions. A large portion of previous work has focused on how future climate scenarios may impact shell-forming organisms and coral reef fish, with little attention given to fish that inhabit nearshore habitats; few studies have examined multiple challenges concurrently. The purpose of this study was to quantify the blood-based physiological response of nearshore fishes to a suite of seawater conditions associated with future climate change. Fish were exposed to an acute (30 min) increase in salinity (50 ppt), acidity (decrease in pH by 0.5 units) or temperature (7-10°C), or temperature and acidity combined, and held in these conditions for 6 h. Their physiological responses were compared across seasons (i.e. summer vs. winter). Bonefish (Albula vulpes) exposed to environmental challenges in the summer experienced a suite of blood-based osmotic and ionic disturbances relative to fish held in ambient conditions, with thermal challenges (particularly in the summer) being the most challenging. Conversely, no significant treatment effects were observed for yellowfin mojarra (Gerres cinereus) or checkered puffer (Sphoeroides testudineus) in either season. Together, results from this study demonstrate that acute climate-induced changes to thermal habitat will be the most challenging for sub-tropical fishes (particularly in the summer) relative to salinity and pH stressors, but significant variation across species exists.
Highlights
Since the industrial revolution, anthropogenic disturbances, such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, have resulted in an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2)
A large portion of previous work has focused on how future climate scenarios may impact shell-forming organisms and coral reef fish, with little attention given to fish that inhabit nearshore habitats; few studies have examined multiple challenges concurrently
Of the three species of nearshore fish examined, bonefish displayed the greatest degree of physiological disturbances following exposure to the common environmental challenges, with disturbances in the summer being greater than those in the winter
Summary
Anthropogenic disturbances, such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, have resulted in an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon dioxide levels have exceeded historical concentrations over the past 650 000 years and have culminated in changes to global climate (Trenberth et al, 2007). Salinity of the ocean is expected to increase in sub-tropical regions as a result of locally reduced precipitation as the planet warms (Gilman et al, 2008). Future climate change predictions indicate that tropical hurricanes will increase in intensity and frequency, resulting in greater amounts of freshwater runoff into nearshore areas during these storms (Knutson et al, 2010).
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