Ocean Acidification effects on the stress response in a calcifying antarctic coastal organism the case of Nacella concinna ecotypes

MARIA CARLA DE ARANZAMENDI; NATALIA SERVETTO; JUANCHO MOVILLA; RAUL BETTENCOURT; RICARDO SAHADE

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2021

0025-326X

Ocean acidification (OA) could become a serious threatfor the Antarctic marine ecosystem over coming years, as the solubility ofatmospheric CO2  and CaCO3 mineralsincreases at lower temperatures. We evaluated the effect of OA on the stressresponse of the limpet  Nacellaconcinna  by measuring gene expressionlevels. The experiment was performed with the two ecotypes (Littoral andSublittoral) of the species during 54 days (IPCC 2019 scenario RCP8.5; control,~375 ppm; low-pH treatment, ~923 ppm). Exposure to low-pH treatment during 15days triggered the down-regulation of two heat-shock protein genes (HSP70A,HSP70B) only in sublittoral individuals. Little variation in the relativeexpression values of all genes in both ecotypes was observed probably, due to ahistorical exposure to the substantial daily natural pH fluctuations recordedin the study area during the experiment. This study provides relevant baselinedata for future OA experiments on coastal species in Antarctica.