Compared stress tolerance to short-term exposure in native and invasive tunicates from the NE Atlantic: when the invader performs better

TitleCompared stress tolerance to short-term exposure in native and invasive tunicates from the NE Atlantic: when the invader performs better
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2018
AuthorsKenworthy JM, Davoult D, Lejeusne C
JournalMarine Biology
Volume165
Pagination164
ISSN1432-1793
KeywordsRCC179
Abstract

{The combined impact of invasive species and climate change threatens natural systems worldwide, often facilitating the expansion of harmful invasive species. It is imperative to understand the mechanisms behind why species become invasive and widespread. Traditionally, it is thought that invasive species have greater tolerances to a wider array of environmental conditions than natives. We, therefore, tested the hypothesis that invasive species are more tolerant to the effects of short-term exposure to temperature and salinity stress. Using unifactorial experiments, we compared the tolerances of two common fouling NE Atlantic ascidians, the native Ciona intestinalis and the invasive Styela clava, to increased temperature and decreased salinity. We measured lethal and behavioural responses affecting 50% of populations to give an indication of the tolerance limits for temperature (LT50) and salinity (EC50), and respiration rate to give an indication of the change in metabolic response. The invasive S. clava was more tolerant to increased stress (LT50 = 29.5 °C

URLhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-018-3420-1
DOI10.1007/s00227-018-3420-1