Abstract
Temperature is one of the more important factors affecting metabolism and fitness of aquatic ectothermic animals. The present study aimed, therefore, at quantifying and comparing the oxygen consumption rates of several subtropical macrobenthos organisms living in two South African estuarine systems. Oxygen fluxes were measured in the laboratory at an individual level for temperatures ranging between 16 and 30 °C. The metabolic response differed significantly among taxa, developmental stage, and microhabitat, with higher activation energy for the animals from the permanently open estuary compared to the one from the temporarily open/closed system. The invasive snails showed an exceptional higher metabolic performance at higher temperatures compared to the other organisms collected within the temporarily open/closed system. The results suggest that estuaries experiencing prolonged closure with stable environmental conditions and lower biodiversity host the least performing native species. Setting this pattern in a future global change scenario, this study highlights that longer closures of the estuarine mouth caused by changing rainfall regimes and increased freshwater abstractions from catchments are likely to create the ideal conditions for the proliferation of more adaptable invasive species in temporally open/closed subtropical estuaries.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife for their support during fieldwork and Fiona Mackay (Oceanographic Research Institute, Durban) for the help with identification. Many thanks also to Kajal Lechman, Dane Garvie, Thembeka Radebe, Christopher Waspe, Fifi Dikarabo Rafedile, and Gavin Tweddle for the assistance in the field.
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MT conceived and designed the experiments, performed the experiment, analysed the data, and wrote the manuscript. FP wrote the paper and facilitated the laboratory experiments. UMS wrote the paper and facilitated the field work.
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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. Collection permit from the department of environmental affairs of the Republic of South Africa: RES2016-85.
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Animal Ethics protocol reference number: AREC/083/015PD from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
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This work was founded by the UKZN post-doctoral fellowship (granted to M. Tagliarolo) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) Grant (UID number: 102688) (granted to U. Scharler).
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No conflict interests exist: M. Tagliarolo declare that she has no conflict of interest. F. Porri declares that she has no conflict of interest. U. M. Scharler declares that she has no conflict of interest.
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Tagliarolo, M., Porri, F. & Scharler, U.M. Temperature-induced variability in metabolic activity of ecologically important estuarine macrobenthos. Mar Biol 165, 23 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-017-3276-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-017-3276-9