The influence of climatic stressors on the performance of the crab Pachygrapsus transversus in detecting the predator Bathygobius soporator

• Grant number: 21/07565-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: May 01, 2022
• End date: January 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Tânia Marcia Costa
• Grantee: Carolina Guardino Martins
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB-CLP). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista. São Vicente , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 22/14995-3 - Synergistic effects of temperature and hypoxia on the chemical perception of a tidepool predator (Carcinus maenas), BE.EP.MS

Abstract

The impact of climate change has been altering different environments over the decades and the marine environment is one of the main victims of this change. According to IPCC projections, the temperature increase could reach 4°C in a pessimistic scenario and ocean acidification tends to be intensified by -0.7 units by increasing the dissolution of CO2 in the water. Entire communities are at risk of extinction. Coastal environments tend to experience a natural variation in water temperature, salinity and pH, but in a context of climate change, these environments could be the first to show critical changes. Some species present in the intertidal zone are suffering interference from climatic stressors in their trophic relationships due to the increase in temperature and ocean acidification. The relationship between prey and predator may be influenced by these changes, as both may have difficulty detecting chemical signals at high temperatures and in situations of low pH. Thus, it is important to understand the magnitude of interference of the main abiotic variables in this relationship. The present study intends to test the performance of the crab Pachygrapsus transversus in the detection of chemical cues of the predator Bathygobius soporator through the hypothesis: The performance of the crab P. transversus in detecting the chemical trail of the predator B. soporator is interfered with by the combined action of temperature increase and ocean acidification. Temperature and pH data will be collected from the tide pools in the field so that we can use these data in our experiments. In the first experiment we will test if the crab can identify the presence of the fish by its odor through behavioral responses which will be categorized. In the second experiment, we will use such behavioral responses to test whether the crab's perception in relation to the fish can be harmed by the increase in temperature and ocean acidification. (AU)