Oxygen availability and body mass modulate ectotherm responses to ocean warming

Murray I Duncan; Fiorenza Micheli; Thomas H Boag; J Andres Marquez; Hailey Deres; Curtis A Deutsch; Erik A Sperling

doi:10.1038/s41467-023-39438-w

Oxygen availability and body mass modulate ectotherm responses to ocean warming

Nat Commun. 2023 Jun 27;14(1):3811. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-39438-w.

Authors

Murray I Duncan^{1

2

3

4

5}, Fiorenza Micheli^{6

7}, Thomas H Boag^{8

9}, J Andres Marquez⁸, Hailey Deres¹⁰, Curtis A Deutsch¹¹, Erik A Sperling⁸

Affiliations

¹ Earth and Planetary Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. [email protected].
² Oceans Department, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA. [email protected].
³ Department of Environment, University of Seychelles, Anse Royale, Seychelles. [email protected].
⁴ Blue Economy Research Institute, University of Seychelles, Anse Royale, Seychelles. [email protected].
⁵ Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa. [email protected].
⁶ Oceans Department, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.
⁷ Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.
⁸ Earth and Planetary Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
⁹ Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
¹⁰ Earth Systems, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
¹¹ Department of Geosciences and the High Meadows Environmental Institute, Princeton, NJ, USA.

Abstract

In an ocean that is rapidly warming and losing oxygen, accurate forecasting of species' responses must consider how this environmental change affects fundamental aspects of their physiology. Here, we develop an absolute metabolic index (Φ_A) that quantifies how ocean temperature, dissolved oxygen and organismal mass interact to constrain the total oxygen budget an organism can use to fuel sustainable levels of aerobic metabolism. We calibrate species-specific parameters of Φ_A with physiological measurements for red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) and purple urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus). Φ_A models highlight that the temperature where oxygen supply is greatest shifts cooler when water loses oxygen or organisms grow larger, providing a mechanistic explanation for observed thermal preference patterns. Viable habitat forecasts are disproportionally deleterious for red abalone, revealing how species-specific physiologies modulate the intensity of a common climate signal, captured in the newly developed Φ_A framework.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Climate
Climate Change
Gastropoda*
Global Warming
Oceans and Seas
Oxygen* / metabolism
Temperature
Water

Substances

Oxygen
Water