Physiological consequences of the supralittoral fringe: microhabitat temperature profiles and stress protein levels in the tropical periwinkle Cenchritis muricatus (Linneaus, 1758)

Abstract

Habitat selection by marine snails is profoundly affected by variations in biotic and abiotic factors. In the supralittoral fringe of Caribbean rocky shores, the littorinid Cenchritis muricatus endures a near-terrestrial existence through a combination of active microhabitat choice and, during dry periods, repose. In this study, we sought to compare knobby periwinkle body size, thermal load, water loss, and stress protein expression among common supralittoral microhabitats to determine the physiological consequences of habitat selection. In this study, we show: (1) body temperatures in these snails exhibit daily fluctuations of more than 20°C and regularly exceed 46°C, (2) microhabitats differ in thermal stress over small spatial scales, with snails on black rocks and within crevices experiencing more extreme temperatures than snails on white rocks or grass, (3) water losses of 8.5% of total snail mass do not affect survival during 1 week, and (4) Hsp70, but not Hsp90, expression varies slightly among microhabitats but at a level much lower than physiologically possible. During arousal following hydration, snails exhibited substantially higher levels of Hsp70s than snails on dry substrates in the field. When inactive, Cenchritis appears to utilize a distinctly different physiological state consistent with aestivation metabolism and does not exhibit significant up-regulation of inducible heat shock proteins (Hsps). In summary, studies lacking detailed thermal and hydration history, and relying only upon Hsp levels, may misrepresent the true physiological consequences of microhabitat choice for high-shore tropical gastropods.

Effect of warming rate on the critical thermal maxima of crabs, shrimp and fish

“…Since both species occupy the same thermal niche, and were acclimated to the same temperature, the authors concluded that although congeneric, these species may have different evolutionary histories influencing their sub-cellular response to thermal stress. Judge et al (2011) had previously reported subcellular responses to thermal stress in tropical gastropods, which were not fully concordant with the microhabitat and temperature that they endured, concluding that detailed information on the specimens' physiological state and prior conditions was needed.…”

Rocks of different mineralogy show different temperature characteristics: implications for biodiversity on rocky seashores

“…With predictions of hotter air temperatures and an increased frequency of extreme-heat events associated with global climate change ( IPCC, 2013 ), the survival and persistence of some intertidal species is likely to be challenged further. To predict the future fate of species and populations, ecologists have collected baseline rock temperature data ( Helmuth, 1999 ; Denny et al, 2011 ; Judge, Botton & Hamilton, 2011 ; Gunderson et al, 2019 ), created heat budget models ( Helmuth, 1999 ; Choi et al, 2019 ), investigated how x species is affected by y substrate temperature ( Raimondi, 1988 ; Lathlean, Ayre & Minchinton, 2012 ; Lathlean, Ayre & Minchinton, 2013 ; Lamb, Leslie & Shinen, 2014 ), or used biomimetic loggers to investigate how internal body temperatures can be variously affected by environmental temperature ( Helmuth & Hofmann, 2001 ; Seabra et al, 2011 ; Lathlean et al, 2015 ; Seuront et al, 2019 ). All of these studies confirm that temperature is an important driving force that can influence the distribution of species on rocky seashores.…”

“…Comparing across studies that investigate substratum temperature, a number of rock temperature observations have been made. Rock temperature is affected by its colour ( Raimondi, 1988 ; Judge, Botton & Hamilton, 2011 ; Gunderson et al, 2019 ), size and orientation relative to the sun ( Bertness, 1999 ; Chapperon et al, 2016 ; Chapperon, Studerus & Clavier, 2017 ). Marshall, McQuaid & Williams (2010) reported lighter-coloured sandstone was cooler than darker-coloured ferruginous sandstone.…”

Body temperature and desiccation constrain the activity of Littoraria irrorata within the Spartina alterniflora canopy

“…Gastropods have been found to reduce body temperatures through avoidance behaviors such as orienting their shell to minimize surface area exposed to the sun in the summer (Muñ oz et al, 2005), by taking refuge on east facing rocks or in shaded crevices in the rocky intertidal (Williams and Morritt, 1995), or by hiding under tree roots in mangroves (Chapperon and Seuront, 2011). These and other studies have shown that there can be large differences in body temperatures depending on behavioral avoidance (Gömez-Cornejo, 1993;Williams and Morritt, 1995;Muñ oz et al, 2005Muñ oz et al, , 2008Williams et al, 2005;Chapperon and Seuront, 2011;Judge et al, 2011;Miller and Denny, 2011), though it is acknowledged that microhabitat selection can also be influenced by biotic factors (Williams and Morritt, 1995;Muñ oz et al, 2005Muñ oz et al, , 2008Chapperon and Seuront, 2011).…”

“…Barnes, 1958;Southward, 1958;Foster, 1971;Wolcott, 1973;Wethey, 1983). For instance, a number of studies have focused on correlations between body temperatures and microhabitat selection for intertidal gastropods (Wolcott, 1973;Gömez-Cornejo, 1993;Williams and Morritt, 1995;Muñ oz et al, 2005Muñ oz et al, , 2008Williams et al, 2005;Chapperon and Seuront, 2011;Judge et al, 2011). Gastropods have been found to reduce body temperatures through avoidance behaviors such as orienting their shell to minimize surface area exposed to the sun in the summer (Muñ oz et al, 2005), by taking refuge on east facing rocks or in shaded crevices in the rocky intertidal (Williams and Morritt, 1995), or by hiding under tree roots in mangroves (Chapperon and Seuront, 2011).…”