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Hypoxia impacts large adults first: consequences in a warming world
Melody S Clark1, Gunnar Husmann, Michael A S Thorne
1British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Cambridge, UK. mscl@bas.ac.uk
Global Change Biology
|March 19, 2013
Summary
Future oceans will have less oxygen, increasing marine hypoxia. Older Antarctic clams (Laternula elliptica) are less resilient to low oxygen conditions than younger ones, impacting benthic populations.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Oceanography
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Future oceans face decreased oxygen levels due to warming and stratification.
- Marine hypoxia is predicted to increase, impacting biodiversity.
- Understanding species-specific responses to hypoxia is crucial for predicting ecosystem changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the age-dependent responses of the Antarctic clam, Laternula elliptica, to hypoxia.
- To determine how physiological and molecular mechanisms of hypoxia tolerance vary with age in this long-lived species.
Main Methods:
- Used Laternula elliptica as a model organism with known ecology and physiology.
- Assessed condition index, adenylate energy charge, transcriptional profiling, oxidative damage, and apoptosis.
- Analyzed age-related differences in tissue scaling and physiological responses to hypoxia.
Main Results:
- Younger clams exhibited higher condition and energy charge, with active responses to hypoxia.
- Older clams showed increased oxidative damage and apoptosis, with more sedentary behavior.
- Age-related tissue scaling (less muscle, smaller gills/foot in older clams) influenced physiological resilience.
Conclusions:
- Age is a critical factor in determining benthic organism resilience to ocean hypoxia.
- Older, larger individuals of Laternula elliptica are less capable of withstanding hypoxic conditions.
- Increased ocean hypoxia may disproportionately affect long-lived benthic species and their reproductive potential.
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