Publication Date:
2012-04-10
Description:
Peck, M. A., Kanstinger, P., Holste, L., and Martin, M. 2012. Thermal windows supporting survival of the earliest life stages of Baltic herring ( Clupea harengus ). – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 529–536. Projecting climate-driven changes in marine systems will require knowledge on how thermal windows affect the vital rates of key species. To examine the potential, direct effect of climate-driven warming on southwest Baltic herring, we quantified the survival, development, and biochemical condition of embryos (eggs and yolk-sac larvae) at ten temperatures between 2.9 and 21.7°C. Viable hatch was highest from 7 to 13°C, 〈20% at 2.9°C and 0% at 21.7°C. Between 5 and 19°C, increasing temperature ( T ) decreased the time to 50% hatch ( H t , h,): H t = 4461.9 x T – 1.24 ( r 2 = 0.98, p 〈 0.0001). Using degree-days [°d = T (°C) x age (d)] could normalize some (but not all) thermal effects. Most hatching occurred 90–120°d post-fertilization, unfed larvae lost 0.33 µg dry mass ( DM ) °d –1 , larvae did not survive 〉160°d post-hatch. RNA–DNA ratios rapidly decreased between 50 and 80°d post-hatch, whereas DNA x DM –1 increased throughout the yolk-sac phase and likely provides a stronger indicator of irreversible starvation. The critical, "mixed feeding" stage is likely 60–100°d post-hatch. The broad thermal tolerance of herring embryos makes "direct", negative effects of warming unlikely; however, a lack of common methods among studies makes it difficult to project how climate warming will affect embryos of different fish populations and species.
Print ISSN:
1054-3139
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9289
Topics:
Biology
,
Geosciences
,
Physics
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