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Physiological and behavioral responses of temperate seahorses (Hippocampus guttulatus) to environmental warming

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Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate, for the first time, the effect of environmental warming on the metabolic and behavioral ecology of a temperate seahorse, Hippocampus guttulatus. More specifically, we compared routine metabolic rates, thermal sensitivity, ventilation rates, food intake, and behavioral patterns at average spring temperature (18 °C), average summer temperature (26 °C), temperatures that they endure during summer heat wave events (28 °C), and in a near-future warming scenario (+2; 30 °C) in Sado estuary, Portugal. Both newborn juveniles and adults showed significant increases in metabolic rates with rising temperatures. However, newborns were more impacted by future warming via metabolic depression (i.e., heat-induced hipometabolism). In adult stages, ventilation rates also increased significantly with environmental warming, but food intake remained unchanged. Moreover, the frequency of swimming, foraging, swinging, and inactivity did not significantly change between the different thermal scenarios. Thus, we provide evidence that, while adult seahorses show great resilience to heat stress and are not expected to go through any physiological impairment and behavioral change with the projected near-future warming, the early stages display greater thermal sensitivity and may face greater metabolic challenges with potential cascading consequences for their growth and survival.

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Acknowledgments

The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) supported this study through project grant PTDC/MAR/0908066/2008 to R. Rosa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, Centro de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Nossa Senhora do Cabo 939, 2750-374, Cascais, Portugal

    Maria Aurélio, Filipa Faleiro, Vanessa M. Lopes, Vanessa Pires, Ana Rita Lopes, Marta S. Pimentel, Tiago Repolho, Miguel Baptista, Luís Narciso & Rui Rosa

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  1. Maria Aurélio
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  2. Filipa Faleiro
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  3. Vanessa M. Lopes
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  4. Vanessa Pires
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  5. Ana Rita Lopes
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  6. Marta S. Pimentel
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  7. Tiago Repolho
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  8. Miguel Baptista
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  9. Luís Narciso
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  10. Rui Rosa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rui Rosa.

Additional information

Communicated by U. Sommer.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table 4.

Table 4 Size range, mass-specific oxygen consumption rates (μmol O2 g−1 h−1) at different temperatures (18; 26; 28, and 30 °C) as a function of body size in H. guttulatus
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Aurélio, M., Faleiro, F., Lopes, V.M. et al. Physiological and behavioral responses of temperate seahorses (Hippocampus guttulatus) to environmental warming. Mar Biol 160, 2663–2670 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-013-2259-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-013-2259-8

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