Highlights
- Combined effects of climate change stressors and Predator Cues (PC) were evaluated.
- Ocean Acidification (OA), Warming (OW) and PC affected mussel traits.
- At the control temperature (15 °C), mussel byssal biogenesis increased with PC.
- PC affected mussel size, wet mass and calcification rate.
- The effects of starfish PC on some mussel traits were larger than those of snail PC.
Abstract
We investigated the combined effects of Ocean Warming (OW), Acidification (OA) and predator cues (Non-Consumptive Effects; NCEs) of two predators with contrasting feeding-digestion strategies on the mussel Perumytilus purpuratus. We considered starfish-NCEs (partially external digestion) and snail-NCEs (internal digestion). Mussels were exposed for 13 weeks to cross-factored OA (~500 and ~1400 μatm, pCO2) and OW (~15 and ~20 °C) conditions, in the presence/absence of NCEs from one or both predators. Mussels exposed to both NCEs exhibited smaller length and buoyant weight growth than those under control or snail-NCEs conditions. Mussels exposed to starfish-NCEs exhibited smaller wet mass than control mussels. OW and starfish-NCEs in isolation or combined with snail-NCEs increased mussel oxygen consumption. Byssal biogenesis was affected by the three-factors interaction. Clearance rates were affected by the OW × OA interaction. We suggest that mainly starfish-NCEs, in isolation or interacting with OA or/and OW, can threat mussel traits and the associated community.
Manríquez P. H., González C. P., Jara M. E., Watson S.-A., Torres R., Domenici P. & Duarte C., 2023. Combined effects of climate change stressors and predators with contrasting feeding-digestion strategies on a mussel species. Marine Pollution Bulletin 187: 114554. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114554. Article.
