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Near-future CO2 levels impair the olfactory system of a marine fish

Survival of marine fishes that are exposed to elevated near-future CO 2 levels is threatened by their altered responses to sensory cues. Here we demonstrate a physiological and molecular mechanism in the olfactory system that helps to explain altered behaviour under elevated CO 2 . We combine electr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature climate change 2018-08, Vol.8 (8), p.737-743
Main Authors: Porteus, Cosima S., Hubbard, Peter C., Uren Webster, Tamsyn M., van Aerle, Ronny, Canário, Adelino V. M., Santos, Eduarda M., Wilson, Rod W.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Survival of marine fishes that are exposed to elevated near-future CO 2 levels is threatened by their altered responses to sensory cues. Here we demonstrate a physiological and molecular mechanism in the olfactory system that helps to explain altered behaviour under elevated CO 2 . We combine electrophysiology measurements and transcriptomics with behavioural experiments to investigate how elevated CO 2 affects the olfactory system of European sea bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ). When exposed to elevated CO 2 (approximately 1,000 µatm), fish must be up to 42% closer to an odour source for detection, compared with current CO 2 levels (around 400 µatm), decreasing their chances of detecting food or predators. Compromised olfaction correlated with the suppression of the transcription of genes involved in synaptic strength, cell excitability and wiring of the olfactory system in response to sustained exposure to elevated CO 2 levels. Our findings complement the previously proposed impairment of γ-aminobutyric acid receptors, and indicate that both the olfactory system and central brain function are compromised by elevated CO 2 levels. Marine fishes exposed to elevated CO 2 levels can have altered responses to sensory cues. Research now reveals a physiological and molecular mechanism in the olfactory system that helps to explain this altered behaviour under elevated CO 2 .
ISSN:1758-678X
1758-6798
DOI:10.1038/s41558-018-0224-8