Spreading the risk: Small-scale body temperature variation among intertidal organisms and its implications for species persistence

Denny, Mark W.; Dowd, W. Wesley; Bilir, Lisa; Mach, Katharine J.

doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2011.02.006

Cited by 179 publications

(229 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…This protocol abrogated any behavioural contributions to micro-scale environmental variation during the outplant period, such as changing orientation to solar irradiance. To each plate, we attached silicone-filled mussel shells containing dataloggers [18] to record estimates of body temperatures every 20 min (n ¼ 5 outplant-high, n ¼ 3 outplant-low). The outplant groups were left in the field for 28 days, after which they were immediately exposed to the acute thermal challenge.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the most fundamental level, micro-scale environmental variation represents a potentially critical caveat to the conclusion that a number of species currently live close to their thermal tolerance limits [17]; rather, only a small subset of individuals are likely to do so [18]. It is also reasonable to expect that this variation could help to maintain expression of physiological variation within populations [11,19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even though lethal temperature events are being documented at increasing frequency (e.g. [40]), these episodes are still rare in most intertidal systems [18,41]. On a much more frequent basis, intertidal animals experience sublethal body temperature fluctuations that can challenge cellular redox balance [32,42].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Micro-scale environmental variation amplifies physiological variation among individual mussels

et al. 2015

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The contributions of temporal and spatial environmental variation to physiological variation remain poorly resolved. Rocky intertidal zone populations are subjected to thermal variation over the tidal cycle, superimposed with micro-scale variation in individuals' body temperatures. Using the sea mussel (Mytilus californianus), we assessed the consequences of this microscale environmental variation for physiological variation among individuals, first by examining the latter in field-acclimatized animals, second by abolishing micro-scale environmental variation via common garden acclimation, and third by restoring this variation using a reciprocal outplant approach. Common garden acclimation reduced the magnitude of variation in tissuelevel antioxidant capacities by approximately 30% among mussels from a wave-protected (warm) site, but it had no effect on antioxidant variation among mussels from a wave-exposed (cool) site. The field-acclimatized level of antioxidant variation was restored only when protected-site mussels were outplanted to a high, thermally stressful site. Variation in organismal oxygen consumption rates reflected antioxidant patterns, decreasing dramatically among protected-site mussels after common gardening. These results suggest a highly plastic relationship between individuals' genotypes and their physiological phenotypes that depends on recent environmental experience. Corresponding context-dependent changes in the physiological meanvariance relationships within populations complicate prediction of responses to shifts in environmental variability that are anticipated with global change.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Micro-scale environmental variation amplifies physiological variation among individual mussels

et al. 2015

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“…repetitive nature of heat stress over low tide periods, unpredictable or stochastic magnitudes of temperature change) are important in structuring the thermal physiology of intertidal organisms (Denny et al, 2011;Montalto et al, 2016). Intertidal organisms can better tolerate heat stress during emersed conditions (low tide) compared with submersed conditions (high tide) (Wolcott, 1973;Jones et al, 2009;Bjelde and Todgham, 2013;Huang et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We predicted that L. digitalis acclimated to stochastic tidal regimes would be less sensitive and have a higher tolerance to heat stress than limpets exposed to predictable temperatures. The variability in the magnitude of temperature increase during periods of emersion would prime the limpets to maintain protective mechanisms when exposed to the highest temperatures; however, emersion periods with low to moderate increases in temperature would provide limpets with reprieve from consistently high low-tide temperatures, which could minimize accumulated damage from heat stress and improve efficiency in the recruiting of protective mechanisms (Hofmann and Somero, 1996;Gracey et al, 2008;Denny et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2014;Huang et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of stochastic thermal environments in modulating the thermal physiology of an intertidal limpet, Lottia digitalis

Drake

Miller

Todgham

2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Much of our understanding of the thermal physiology of intertidal organisms comes from experiments with animals acclimated under constant conditions and exposed to a single heat stress. In nature, however, the thermal environment is more complex. Aerial exposure and the unpredictable nature of thermal stress during low tides may be critical factors in defining the thermal physiology of intertidal organisms. In the fingered limpet, Lottia digitalis, we investigated whether upper temperature tolerance and thermal sensitivity were influenced by the pattern of fluctuation with which thermal stress was applied. Specifically, we examined whether there was a differential response (measured as cardiac performance) to repeated heat stress of a constant and predictable magnitude compared with heat stress applied in a stochastic and unpredictable nature. We also investigated differences in cellular metabolism and damage following immersion for insights into biochemical mechanisms of tolerance. Upper temperature tolerance increased with aerial exposure, but no significant differences were found between predictable treatments of varying magnitudes (13°C versus 24°C versus 32°C). Significant differences in thermal tolerance were found between unpredictable trials with different heating patterns. There were no significant differences among treatments in basal citrate synthase activity, glycogen content, oxidative stress or antioxidants. Our results suggest that aerial exposure and recent thermal history, paired with relief from high low-tide temperatures, are important factors modulating the capacity of limpets to deal with thermal stress.

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Tracking microhabitat temperature variation with iButton data loggers

et al. 2019

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Premise of the Study Fine‐scale variation in temperature and soil moisture contribute to microhabitats across the landscape, affecting plant phenology, distribution, and fitness. The recent availability of compact and inexpensive temperature and humidity data loggers such as iB uttons has facilitated research on microclimates. Methods and Results Here, we highlight the use of iB uttons in three distinct settings: comparisons of empirical data to modeled climate data for rare rock ferns in the genus Asplenium in eastern North America; generation of fine‐scale data to predict flowering time and vernalization responsiveness of crop wild relatives of chickpea from southeastern Anatolia; and measurements of extreme thermal variation of solar array installations in Vermont. Discussion We highlight a range of challenges with iB uttons, including serious limitations of the Hygrochron function that affect their utility for measuring soil moisture, and methods for protecting them from the elements and from human interference. Finally, we provide MATLAB code to facilitate the processing of raw iB utton data.

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Spreading the risk: Small-scale body temperature variation among intertidal organisms and its implications for species persistence

Cited by 179 publications

References 60 publications

Micro-scale environmental variation amplifies physiological variation among individual mussels

Micro-scale environmental variation amplifies physiological variation among individual mussels

The role of stochastic thermal environments in modulating the thermal physiology of an intertidal limpet, Lottia digitalis

Tracking microhabitat temperature variation with iButton data loggers

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