Thermal sensitivity of O. maya embryos as a tool for monitoring the effects of environmental warming in the Southern of Gulf of Mexico (original) (raw)

Ecological Indicators, 2017

Abstract

Abstract Most of our understanding on embryonic development in cephalopods comes from studies using constant temperature. Even though spawning generally occurs at relatively stable environments, eggs and embryos can be exposed over short periods of time to high temperature anomalies caused by oceanic warming. Therefore, in this study we examined the effects of increasing temperatures on growth, respiratory metabolism, and antioxidant defense mechanisms to define the thermal limits of Octopus maya embryos in a changing environment. Ramp temperatures consisted in increments of 1 °C every 5 days from 24 °C to 30 °C. The thermal limit of embryos at ramp temperatures was detected at 27 °C with metabolic rate increments between 63% and 69%, compared with the metabolic rate observed at control temperature (24 °C). Based on the calculated integrated biomarker response (IBR) was possible to detect that at the thermal limit, an increment on oxygen consumption was observed joint with reactive oxygen species (ROS). The IBR analysis indicated that above 27 °C embryos experienced changes in the oxidative system and were not able to recover. This study suggests that in a scenario of rapidly increasing temperatures after a short winter, O. maya embryos may suffer irreversible effects that are likely to negatively affect recruitment and the population dynamic. The thermal sensitivity of O. maya embryos, revealed in the present work, indicates that this species has an important potential for biomonitoring of the effects of environmental warming. Changes in the population dynamics of this species should be further studied since they can be used as a proxy for warming of the southern Gulf of Mexico ecosystems.

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