The present study experimentally investigates how temperature and acidification affect the polar lipid fatty acid (FA) composition of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles. Fish were reared for 92 days and fed ad libitum under four conditions: a control (CT; with natural fluctuating temperature and pH); a warming (WT, +4°C above control, and control pH), an acidification (AT, control temperature and −0.4 pH units below the control), and a combined warming and acidification treatment (WAT, +4°C and −0.4 pH units relative to the control). Results showed that warm treatments (WT and WAT) increased final weight and length similarly, whether or not combined with acidification, and that acidification alone (AT) had no effect on these variables. Polar lipid FA profiles of muscle and brain were only mildly impacted by temperature and not by acidification. Overall, the results suggest that European sea bass, under unrestricted quantity of food is able to maintain a very stable polar lipid FA composition. However, complementary studies with individuals under different feeding regimes or from wild populations subject to natural dietary variability are needed.
Gonzalvez R., Péron M., Mathieu-Resuge M., Le Grand F., Cohen-Rengifo M., Collet S., Soudant P. & Vagner M., 2026. Effect of warming and acidification on polar lipid fatty acid composition in juvenile European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Marine Environmental Research 221: 108258. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2026.108258. Article (subscription required).
