2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
5/22/2018 | 12:15 PM - 12:30 PM | IS A WIDESPREAD, COMMON SPECIES ALREADY LIVING NEAR ITS UPPER THERMAL TOLERANCE LIMIT IN ITS NATURAL ENVIRONMENT? | 410 A
IS A WIDESPREAD, COMMON SPECIES ALREADY LIVING NEAR ITS UPPER THERMAL TOLERANCE LIMIT IN ITS NATURAL ENVIRONMENT?
Thermal stress on freshwater mussels will likely increase due to multiple factors including global warming, and drought. Assessing thermal tolerance of freshwater mussels is essential for determining the level of risk posed by these pressures. We used electron transport system (ETS) assays to examine effects of increasing temperatures on respiratory enzymes of Amblema plicata collected from populations in the lower Colorado River (Texas), the Sipsey River (Alabama), and the Little River (Oklahoma). Preliminary analysis provided no evidence for regional differences in thermal tolerance among populations. Optimal temperature for enzymes was 26.83 °C ± 2.06. Water temperatures in all three rivers frequently exceed this optima, indicating mussel populations regularly experience thermal stress. As temperatures exceed thermal optima, enzyme activity levels declined, and then plateaued – indicating the activation of chaperone molecules. This breakpoint coincided with reported lethal temperatures and occurred at 35.80 °C ± 2.84 – which is exceeded in some years. Results suggest southern populations of A. plicata are living near their thermal tolerance limit and frequently experience sublethal and lethal thermal stress. Future increases in riverine thermal regimes may threaten even common species such as A. plicata.
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Presenters/Authors
Hisham Abdelrahman
(), School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, hisham@auburn.edu;
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Austin Haney
(), Auburn University, arh0093@auburn.edu;
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Carla Atkinson
(), The University of Alabama, carla.l.atkinson@ua.edu;
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James Stoeckel
(), Auburn University, jimstoeckel@auburn.edu;
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