EAPSI:Impacts of Projected Climate Change on Physiological Performance of Coral Reef Fishes

Duncan Elizabeth A, Long Beach CA

Investigators

Abstract

Increased sea temperatures and decreased ocean pH due to human induced climate change will have both direct and indirect impacts on marine life. This project is designed to investigate variation in the physiological responses of reef fish to projected end-of-the-century environmental conditions. Temperature is perhaps the most significant abiotic factor influencing the performance and fitness of marine organisms and decreased pH, or ocean acidification, has been shown to impose trade offs to fish between behavioral and physiological performance. Such research will help scientists to better understand how climate change might impact population dynamics and the long term viability of economically valuable species. This study will be a collaborative effort between the fellow and Dr. Jodie Rummer of James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. Dr. Rummer is a leading expert in fish physiology and behavior at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, an international hub of tropical research. To investigate how the physiology of particular reef associated fish species are impacted by increasing temperature and ocean acidification, this project will quantify the changes to various aspects of fish metabolism and swimming performance following sustained exposure to realistic, near future climate conditions. The results from this EAPSI award will, in part, contribute to knowledge of species-specific, whole organism responses to changing environmental conditions and will identify potential mechanisms underlying altered performance. Fish play key roles in marine food webs and are a valuable source of protein for humans. As a consequence, information linking individual performance to population and community scale dynamics will help shape marine management strategies to ensure the persistence of coral reef biodiversity in a rapidly changing world. This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Australian Academy of Science.