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Sci Rep
2021 May 31;111:11313. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-90608-6.
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Energetic context determines the effects of multiple upwelling-associated stressors on sea urchin performance.
Murie KA
,
Bourdeau PE
.
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Globally, kelp forests are threatened by multiple stressors, including increasing grazing by sea urchins. With coastal upwelling predicted to increase in intensity and duration in the future, understanding whether kelp forest and urchin barren urchins are differentially affected by upwelling-related stressors will give insight into how future conditions may affect the transition between kelp forests and barrens. We assessed how current and future-predicted changes in the duration and magnitude of upwelling-associated stressors (low pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature) affected the performance of purple sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) sourced from rapidly-declining bull kelp (Nereocystis leutkeana) forests and nearby barrens and maintained on habitat-specific diets. Kelp forest urchins were of superior condition to barrens urchins, with ~ 6-9 times more gonad per body mass. Grazing and condition in kelp forest urchins were more negatively affected by distant-future and extreme upwelling conditions, whereas grazing and survival in urchins from barrens were sensitive to both current-day and all future-predicted upwelling, and to increases in acidity, hypoxia, and temperature regardless of upwelling. We conclude that urchin barren urchins are more susceptible to increases in the magnitude and duration of upwelling-related stressors than kelp forest urchins. These findings have important implications for urchin population dynamics and their interaction with kelp.
Figure 1. (a) A young bull kelp (Nereocystis leutkeana) recruit (foreground) and a front of actively grazing purple sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) (background); and (b) purple sea urchins actively climbing and consuming the stipes of bull kelp in a rapidly declining kelp forest fragment in northern California. Photo credit: K. Murie.
Figure 2. Average (1 ± SE) grazing rates through time (during each non-upwelling and upwelling event) for (a) kelp forest and (b) urchin barren urchins, and (c) urchins pooled across habitat in each of the four upwelling severity treatments; and (d) kelp forest and urchin barren urchins pooled across upwelling severity treatments. KEY: NU non-upwelling event, UP upwelling event.
Figure 3. Total number of deaths for kelp forest and urchin barrens urchins in each of the four upwelling severity treatments. KEY: CD - Current Day, F1 - Future 1, F2 - Future 2, F3 - Future 3.
Figure 4. Average (1 ± SE) gonad index change for kelp forest urchins in each of the four upwelling severity treatments.
Figure 5. Schematic of experimental design and treatment description for the mesocosm experiment. Seawater chemistry parameters for each upwelling severity treatment are (L-R): reservoir 1—Current Day (blue), reservoir 2—Future 1 (green), reservoir 3—Future 2 (yellow), reservoir 4—Future 3 (orange). Both upwelling and non-upwelling event conditions regarding seawater parameters are listed in each corresponding reservoir, with upwelling on top and non-upwelling on the bottom. Colored bars located on the left side of each reservoir represent the duration of each upwelling and non-upwelling event in days. Lighter colors represent upwelling, and darker colors represent non-upwelling. Each reservoir delivered treated water to five randomly distributed replicate tanks. Each replicate tank housed four columns, each with one sea urchin, for a total of two kelp forest urchins and two urchin barren urchins (n = 10 urchins per treatment combination). The individual urchins in each column were completely separate from one another and could not interact physically, though the columns were perforated allowing treated water in each tank to intermingle among columns. See figure key for additional components of each replicate tank.
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