ORCID
- Manuela Truebano: 0000-0003-2586-6524
- Michael Collins: 0000-0003-2112-5294
- John Spicer: 0000-0002-6861-4039
Abstract
Marine animals are challenged by chronically raised temperatures alongside an increased frequency of discrete, severe warming events. Exposure to repeated heat shocks could result in heat hardening, where sub-lethal exposure to thermal stress temporarily enhances thermotolerance, and may be an important mechanism by which marine species will cope with future thermal challenges. However, we have relatively little understanding of the effects of heat hardening in comparison to chronic exposure to elevated temperatures. Therefore, we compared the effects of heat hardening from repeated exposure to acute heat shocks and chronic exposure to elevated temperatures on thermal tolerance in the European abalone, Haliotis tuberculata. Adult abalones were exposed to either control temperature (15 °C), chronic warming (20 °C) or a regime of two events of repeated acute heat shock cycles (23–25 °C) during six months, and their thermal tolerance and performance, based upon cardiac activity, compared using a dynamic ramping assay. The cost associated with each treatment was also estimated via measurements of condition index (CI). Abalone exposed to both temperature treatments had higher upper thermal limits than the control, but heat-hardened individuals had significantly higher CI values, indicating an enhancement in condition status. Differences in the shape of the thermal performance curve suggest different mechanisms may be at play under different temperature exposure treatments. We conclude that heat hardening can boost thermal tolerance in this species, without performance trade-offs associated with chronic warming.
DOI
10.1016/j.jtherbio.2024.103963
Publication Date
2024-08-30
Publication Title
Journal of Thermal Biology
Volume
124
ISSN
0306-4565
Keywords
Ct, Frontloading, Heart rate, Heat shocks, Stress conditioning, Thermal performance, Upper thermal limits
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Truebano, M., Collins, M., Spicer, J., Ellis, R., & Abbas, A. (2024) 'Heat hardening improves thermal tolerance in abalone, without the trade-offs associated with chronic heat exposure', Journal of Thermal Biology, 124. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2024.103963
