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An in situ assessment of local adaptation in a calcifying polychaete from a shallow CO2 vent system

TitleAn in situ assessment of local adaptation in a calcifying polychaete from a shallow CO2 vent system
Publication TypeArticolo su Rivista peer-reviewed
Year of Publication2016
AuthorsLucey, N.M., Lombardi Chiara, Florio M., DeMarchi L., Nannini M., Rundle S., Gambi M.C., and Calosi P.
JournalEvolutionary Applications
Volume9
Pagination1054-1071
Date PublishedOCT
ISSN17524563
Keywordsevolutionary constraints, in situ transplant, Mediterranean Sea, ocean acidification, phenotypic plasticity, Serpulidae
Abstract

Ocean acidification (OA) is likely to exert selective pressure on natural populations. Our ability to predict which marine species will adapt to OA and what underlies this adaptive potential is of high conservation and resource management priority. Using a naturally low-pH vent site in the Mediterranean Sea (Castello Aragonese, Ischia) mirroring projected future OA conditions, we carried out a reciprocal transplant experiment to investigate the relative importance of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation in two populations of the sessile, calcifying polychaete Simplaria sp. (Annelida, Serpulidae, Spirorbinae): one residing in low pH and the other from a nearby ambient (i.e. high) pH site. We measured a suite of fitness-related traits (i.e. survival, reproductive output, maturation, population growth) and tube growth rates in laboratory-bred F2 generation individuals from both populations reciprocally transplanted back into both ambient and low-pH in situ habitats. Both populations showed lower expression in all traits, but increased tube growth rates, when exposed to low-pH compared with high-pH conditions, regardless of their site of origin suggesting that local adaptation to low-pH conditions has not occurred. We also found comparable levels of plasticity in the two populations investigated, suggesting no influence of long-term exposure to low pH on the ability of populations to adjust their phenotype. Despite high variation in trait values among sites and the relatively extreme conditions at the low pH site (pH < 7.36), response trends were consistent across traits. Hence, our data suggest that, for Simplaria and possibly other calcifiers, neither local adaptations nor sufficient phenotypic plasticity levels appear to suffice in order to compensate for the negative impacts of OA on long-term survival. Our work also emphasizes the utility of field experiments in natural environments subjected to high level of pCO2 for elucidating the potential for adaptation to future scenarios of OA. © 2016 The Authors. Evolutionary Applications published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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URLhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84979771555&doi=10.1111%2feva.12400&partnerID=40&md5=59925f5cb9b6fe3150e8cd2f05781040
DOI10.1111/eva.12400
Citation KeyLucey20161054