The predictability of fluctuating environments shapes the thermal tolerance of marine ectotherms and compensates narrow safety margins.

ABSTRACT: Aquatic species living in productive coastal habitats with abundant primary producers have evolved in highly dynamic diel and seasonally fluctuating environments in terms of, for example, water temperature and dissolved oxygen. However, how environmental fluctuations shape the thermal tolerance of marine species is still poorly understood. Here we hypothesize that the degree of predictability of the diel environmental fluctuations in the coastal area can explain the thermal response of marine species. To test this hypothesis, we measured the thermal tolerance of 17 species of marine ectotherm from tropical, warm temperate and cold temperate latitudes under two levels of oxygen (around saturation and at supersaturation), and relate the results to their site-specific temperature and oxygen f

SUBMITTER: Fusi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11526141 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature