A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Forecast climate change conditions sustain growth and physiology but hamper reproduction in range-margin populations of a foundation rockweed species
Authors: Eva Rothäusler, Luca Rugiu, Veijo Jormalainen
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Publication year: 2018
Journal: Marine Environmental Research
Journal name in source: Marine Environmental Research
Volume: 141
First page : 205
Last page: 213
Number of pages: 9
ISSN: 0141-1136
eISSN: 1879-0291
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.09.014
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/36114222
Intensifying environmental changes due to climate change affect marine species worldwide. Herein, we experimentally tested if the combination of forecasted warming and hyposalinity adversely affected growth, receptacle formation, and photosynthesis of three marginal populations of the brown alga Fucus from the northern Baltic Sea. Growth was not impaired by the projected consequences of climate change but genotypes varied in their responses, suggesting existence of genetic variation in phenotypic plasticity. Climate change further prevented receptacle formation, implying that Fucus fail to reproduce sexually. Photosynthesis was not affected by climate change but varied among populations. Our results show that Fucus populations photosynthesized, grew, and survived well under the projected climate change but their sexual reproduction ceased. This suggests that the marginal populations tested herein are resilient to future conditions but only if asexual reproduction enables them to proliferate.
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