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- Title
Pilot Study: Comparing temperature impacts on reproductive success and gene expression between tropical and subtropical populations of dwarf seahorses, Hippocampus zosterae.
- Authors
McGregor, Lakean W.; Krejci, Sarah E.
- Abstract
Members of the family Syngnathidae, seahorses and pipefish, face global fishing pressure for use in traditional medicines, aquariums, and as curios, while their essential habitats such as seagrasses, mangrove and coral reefs are declining due to anthropogenic stresses. Despite the global demand for syngnathids, particularly wild caught specimens, and declining habitats, abiotic factors influencing seahorse population ranges and their susceptibility to climate change have received little attention. Genetically distinct subpopulations of dwarf seahorses have been identified along the peninsula of Florida extending from subtropical regions to the tropical waters of the Florida Keys. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that temperature impacts reproduction in seahorses, but it is unclear if these impacts vary among wild dwarf seahorse populations among northern areas of Florida and the Keys which experience different temperature ranges. In this study, wild caught dwarf seahorses from two subpopulations will be exposed to a range of water temperatures within and outside their natural ranges. Seahorse experiments will examine the impacts of temperature on reproductive output and survival while tracking the gene expression of subpopulations. These methods will allow for the identification of genes involved in thermal tolerance in fishes while also advancing fundamental understanding of syngnathid behavior and physiology which may influence their distribution. By providing a comprehensive understanding of the effects of temperature-induced genetic mechanisms determining range limits, a new, more complete framework for assessing mechanisms of fish adaptation to climate change will be developed.
- Subjects
FLORIDA; FLORIDA Keys (Fla.); BIOLOGICAL fitness; CLIMATE change adaptation; SEA horses; GENE expression; CORAL declines; FISH locomotion
- Publication
Florida Scientist, 2023, Vol 86, Issue 3, p452
- ISSN
0098-4590
- Publication type
Article