The basis of the food web influenced by climate changes: combined effects of extreme environmental stressors on the amphipod Cymadusa filosa and the macroalgae Sargassum filipendula.

• Grant number: 23/16901-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: May 01, 2024
• End date: April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Tânia Marcia Costa
• Grantee: Caio Augusto Paula
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB-CLP). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista. São Vicente , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/03847-1 - Turbidity, nutrients and macroalgae-consumer interaction: responses to climate change., BE.EP.MS

Abstract

Human action has accelerated changes in climate, which impact organisms in different ways, affecting their metabolism, physiology, morphology, behavior, distribution, and even the productivity of the ecosystem. In this work we will evaluate the effects of extreme climate stressors (marine heat waves and coastal darkening) on the amphipod Cymadusa filosa and the macroalga Sargassum filipendula. Our hypotheses are that the isolated and combined effects of marine heat waves and turbidity cause effects capable of influencing the homeostasis of the organisms tested. To achieve this, we will carry out two stages of experiments, one evaluating the effects of extreme stressors on amphipods and macroalgae, and another evaluating their responses after the period of exposure to the stressors. We will have 3 treatments for temperature (25 °C, 29 °C and 33 °C) and 3 for turbidity (2 NTU, 15 NTU and 200 NTU). As response variables we will evaluate primary productivity; secondary productivity; consumption of macroalgae; and tube-building behavior in amphipods (number and sizes of tubes).