The long-lived deep-sea bivalve Acesta excavata is sensitive to the dual stressors of sediment and warming

Elliot Scanes; Tina Kutti; James K H Fang; Emma L Johnston; Pauline M Ross; Raymond J Bannister

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116323

The long-lived deep-sea bivalve Acesta excavata is sensitive to the dual stressors of sediment and warming

Mar Pollut Bull. 2024 May:202:116323. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116323. Epub 2024 Apr 10.

Authors

Elliot Scanes¹, Tina Kutti², James K H Fang³, Emma L Johnston⁴, Pauline M Ross⁵, Raymond J Bannister²

Affiliations

¹ School of Life and Environmental Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, 2006, NSW, Australia; Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, 2007, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Institute of Marine Research, PO Box 1870, 5817 Bergen, Norway.
³ Department of Food Science and Nutrition, and Research Institute for Future Food, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong; State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong; Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, the University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
⁴ School of Life and Environmental Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, 2006, NSW, Australia; State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong; Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, the University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
⁵ School of Life and Environmental Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, 2006, NSW, Australia.

PMID: 38598927
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116323

Abstract

Human influence in the deep-sea is increasing as mining and drilling operations expand, and waters warm because of climate change. Here, we investigate how the long-lived deep-sea bivalve, Acesta excavata responds to sediment pollution and/or acute elevated temperatures. A. excavata were exposed to suspended sediment, acute warming, and a combination of the two treatments for 40 days. We measured O₂ consumption, NH₄⁺ release, Total Organic Carbon (TOC), and lysosomal membrane stability (LMS). We found suspended sediment and warming interacted to decrease O:N ratios, while sediment as a single stressor increased the release of TOC and warming increased NH₄⁺ release in A. excavata. Warming also increased levels of LMS. We found A. excavata used protein catabolism to meet elevated energetic demands indicating a low tolerance to stress. A. excavata has limited capacity for physiological responses to the stressors of warming and sediment which may lead to decreased fitness of A. excavata.

MeSH terms

Animals
Bivalvia / physiology
Carbon / analysis
Climate Change
Geologic Sediments* / chemistry
Stress, Physiological

Substances

Carbon