It is widely accepted that adaptation to the extreme cold has evolved at the expense of high thermal sensitivity. However, recent studies have demonstrated significant capacities for warm acclimation in Antarctic fishes. Here, we report on hepatic metabolic reorganization and its putative molecular background in the Antarctic eelpout (Pachycara brachycephalum) during warm acclimation to 5°C over 6 wk. Elevated capacities of cytochrome c oxidase suggest the use of warm acclimation pathways different from those in temperate fish. The capacity of this enzyme rose by 90%, while citrate synthase (CS) activity fell by 20% from the very beginning. The capacity of lipid oxidation by hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase remained constant, whereas phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase as a marker for gluconeogenesis displayed 40% higher activities. These capacities in relation to CS indicate a metabolic shift from lipid to carbohydrate metabolism. The finding was supported by large rearrangements of the related transcriptome, both functional genes and potential transcription factors. A multivariate analysis (canonical correspondence analyses) of various transcripts subdivided the incubated animals in three groups, one control group and two responding on short and long timescales, respectively. A strong dichotomy in the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors-1α and -β receptors was most striking and has not previously been reported. Altogether, we identified a molecular network, which responds sensitively to warming beyond the realized ecological niche. The shift from lipid to carbohydrate stores and usage may support warm hardiness, as the latter sustain anaerobic metabolism and may prepare for hypoxemic conditions that would develop upon warming beyond the present acclimation temperature.

Research on the thermal biology of Antarctic marine organisms has increased awareness of their vulnerability to climate change, as a flipside of their adaptation to life in the permanent cold and their limited capacity to acclimate to variable temperatures. Here, we employed a species-specific microarray of the Antarctic eelpout, Pachycara brachycephalum, to identify long-term shifts in gene expression after 2 months of acclimation to six temperatures between -1 and 9 °C. Changes in cellular processes comprised signalling, post-translational modification, cytoskeleton remodelling, metabolic shifts and alterations in the transcription as well as translation machinery. The magnitude of transcriptomic responses paralleled the change in whole animal performance. Optimal growth at 3 °C occurred at a minimum in gene expression changes indicative of a balanced steady state. The up-regulation of ribosomal transcripts at 5 °C and above was accompanied by the transcriptomic activation of differential protein degradation pathways, from proteasome-based degradation in the cold towards lysosomal protein degradation in the warmth. From 7 °C upwards, increasing transcript levels representing heat-shock proteins and an acute inflammatory response indicate cellular stress. Such patterns may contribute to a warm-induced energy deficit and a strong weight loss at temperatures above 6 °C. Together, cold or warm acclimation led to specific cellular rearrangements and the progressive development of functional imbalances beyond the optimum temperature. The observed temperature-specific expression profiles reveal the molecular basis of thermal plasticity and refine present understanding of the shape and positioning of the thermal performance curve of ectotherms on the temperature scale.

Oceans are experiencing increasing acidification in parallel to a distinct warming trend in consequence of ongoing climate change. Rising seawater temperatures are mediating a northward shift in distribution of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), into the habitat of polar cod (Boreogadus saida), that is associated with retreating cold water masses. This study investigates the competitive strength of the co-occurring gadoids under ocean acidification and warming (OAW) scenarios. Therefore, we incubated specimens of both species in individual tanks for 4 months, under different control and projected temperatures (polar cod: 0, 3, 6, 8°C, Atlantic cod: 3, 8, 12, 16°C) and PCO 2 conditions (390 and 1170 latm) and monitored growth, feed consumption and standard metabolic rate. Our results revealed distinct temperature effects on both species. While hypercapnia by itself had no effect, combined drivers caused nonsignificant trends. The feed conversion efficiency of normocapnic polar cod was highest at 0°C, while optimum growth performance was attained at 6°C; the long-term upper thermal tolerance limit was reached at 8°C. OAW caused only slight impairments in growth performance. Under normocapnic conditions, Atlantic cod consumed progressively increasing amounts of feed than individuals under hypercapnia despite maintaining similar growth rates during warming. The low feed conversion -016-1932-z efficiency at 3°C may relate to the lower thermal limit of Atlantic cod. In conclusion, Atlantic cod displayed increased performance in the warming Arctic such that the competitive strength of polar cod is expected to decrease under future OAW conditions.

It is widely accepted that in many food webs, the trophic transfer efficiency among primary producers and herbivores is determined by the nutritional value of primary producers. In pelagic freshwater and marine ecosystems, secondary production by herbivorous crustacean zooplankton is often limited by the seston's content of essential ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3 PUFAs). However, little is known about the genetic network behind the positive relationship between phytoplankton ω3 PUFA content and zooplankton growth and reproduction. In our experimental study, we analysed gene expression changes of the freshwater cladoceran Daphnia magna under different food regimes differing in their ω3 PUFA composition. To disentangle ω3 PUFA effects from other factors, we fed D. magna with different pure phytoplankton cultures (i.e., algal and cyanobacterial diets) with or without supplementing the essential ω3 PUFA eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). As hypothesized, we observed enhanced growth on diets supplemented with EPA. We applied an Illumina RNA-seq approach to D. magna from different diet treatments to find and monitor genes that are regulated dependent on EPA availability. Of 26,646 potential protein products (mapped to the D. magna genome), we identified transcriptomic signatures driven by the different food sources. Further analyses revealed specific candidate genes involved in EPA metabolism, irrespective of the basal food source. This allows a first functional annotation of previously uncharacterized genes involved in the EPA-specific response of D. magna and may finally provide a link to molecular processes connected to ω3 PUFA metabolism and conversion and thus trophic transfer efficiency in pelagic food webs.

BackgroundExposure to future ocean acidification scenarios may alter the behaviour of marine teleosts through interference with neuroreceptor functioning. So far, most studies investigated effects of ocean acidification on the behaviour of fish, either isolated or in combination with environmental temperature. However, only few physiological studies on this issue were conducted despite the putative neurophysiological origin of the CO2-induced behavioural changes. Here, we present the metabolic consequences of long-term exposure to projected ocean acidification (396–548 μatm PCO2 under control and 915–1272 μatm under treatment conditions) and parallel warming in the brain of two related fish species, polar cod (Boreogadus saida, exposed to 0 °C, 3 °C, 6 °C and 8 °C) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua, exposed to 3 °C, 8 °C, 12 °C and 16 °C). It has been shown that B. saida is behaviourally vulnerable to future ocean acidification scenarios, while G. morhua demonstrates behavioural resilience.ResultsWe found that temperature alters brain osmolyte, amino acid, choline and neurotransmitter concentrations in both species indicating thermal responses particularly in osmoregulation and membrane structure. In B. saida, changes in amino acid and osmolyte metabolism at the highest temperature tested were also affected by CO2, possibly emphasizing energetic limitations. We did not observe changes in neurotransmitters, energy metabolites, membrane components or osmolytes that might serve as a compensatory mechanism against CO2 induced behavioural impairments. In contrast to B. saida, such temperature limitation was not detected in G. morhua; however, at 8 °C, CO2 induced an increase in the levels of metabolites of the glutamate/GABA-glutamine cycle potentially indicating greater GABAergic activity in G.morhua. Further, increased availability of energy-rich substrates was detected under these conditions.ConclusionsOur results indicate a change of GABAergic metabolism in the nervous system of Gadus morhua close to the optimum of the temperature range. Since a former study showed that juvenile G. morhua might be slightly more behaviourally resilient to CO2 at this respective temperature, we conclude that the observed change of GABAergic metabolism could be involved in counteracting OA induced behavioural changes. This may serve as a fitness advantage of this respective species compared to B. saida in a future warmer, more acidified polar ocean.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12983-017-0238-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.