Journal Article

Zooplankton responses to simulated marine heatwave in the Mediterranean Sea using in situ mesocosms

Vidussi, Francesca, Koutsandrea, Andriana, Kavakakis, Kostas, Protopapa, Maria, Sakavara, Athanasia, Zervoudaki, Soultana, Mostajir, Behzad, Anttila, Katja, von Weissenberg, Ella, Chariati, Charitomeni, Bourdin, Pauline, Engström-Öst, Jonna, Jansson, Anna, Fyttis, Georgios

2024

Overview

Globally, marine heatwave frequency, intensity, and duration are on the rise, posing a significant threat to plankton communities, the foundational elements of the marine food web. This study investigates the ecological and physiological responses of a temperate plankton community in the Thau lagoon, north-western Mediterranean, to a simulated +3°C ten-day heatwave followed by a ten-day post-heatwave period in in-situ mesocosms. Our analyses encompassed zooplankton grazing, production, community composition in water and sediment traps, as well as oxidative stress and anti-oxidant biomarkers. The results revealed increased abundances of harpacticoid copepods and polychaete larvae during the simulated heatwave and post-heatwave event. Sediment trap data indicated elevated mortality, particularly dominated by polychaete larvae during the post-heatwave period. Oxidative stress biomarker (lipid peroxidation LPX) levels in the plankton community correlated with temperature, signaling cellular damage during the heatwave. LPX increased and proteins decreased with increasing salinity during the experiment. Offspring production peaked during the post-heatwave phase. Notably, the calanoid copepod Acartia clausi exhibited a preference for ciliates as its primary prey, constituting 20% of the overall available prey. Our findings suggest a potential shift in coastal zooplankton communities during future marine heatwaves, transitioning from calanoid mesozooplankton dominance to a system featuring meroplankton and/or harpacticoid copepods. Although species preying on microzooplankton may gain advantages in such conditions, the study underscores the damaging impact of heatwaves on organismal lipids, with potential consequences for reproduction, growth, and survival within marine ecosystems.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Analysis / Animals / Behavior / Bioclimatology / Biology and Life Sciences / Biomarkers / Carbon sequestration / Cellular manufacture / Chlorophyll / Ciliates / Closed ecological systems / Community composition / Copepoda / Copepoda - physiology / Copepods / Cyanobacteria / Damage / Earth Sciences / Ecology and Environmental Sciences / Ecology, environment / Ecosystem / Ecosystems / Environmental aspects / Experiments / Extreme Heat / Food Chain / Food chains / Food chains (Ecology) / Food webs / Heat waves / Hot weather / Influence / Lagoons / Larvae / Life Sciences / Lipid Peroxidation / Lipids / Marine ecosystems / Mediterranean Sea / Meroplankton / Mesocosms / Metabolism / Metabolites / Oceanography / Offspring / Oxidants / Oxidative stress / Oxidative Stress - physiology / Oxidizing agents / Peroxidation / Physical Sciences / Physiological aspects / Physiological responses / Physiology / Plankton / Prey / Proteins / Radiation / Research and Analysis Methods / Salinity / Sciences of the Universe / Sediments (Geology) / Sensors / Taxonomy / Temperature preferences / Water temperature / Zooplankton / Zooplankton - physiology