Survival and physiological energetics of highly invasive mussels exposed to heatwaves

The South American mussel, Mytella strigata, is a highly invasive fouling species of great concern along intertidal shores in East and Southeast Asia, posing serious threats to native biodiversity and ecosystems. Intertidal areas, being increasingly attacked by heatwaves over the last decade, are am...

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Published in:Marine environmental research 2023-05, Vol.187, p.105948-105948, Article 105948
Main Authors: Xu, Xin, Zhang, Xingzhi, Peng, Jinxia, Deng, Yuewen, Liu, Yong, Jiang, Linyuan, Zhao, Liqiang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
absorption
Animals
biodiversity
Bioinvasion
cell respiration
Climate Change
Ecosystem
energy
Energy budget
Energy Metabolism
Extreme weather event
Hot Temperature
Humans
Introduced Species
littoral zone
mussels
Mytella strigata
Mytilidae
Physiology
South China Sea
South East Asia
species
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Summary:The South American mussel, Mytella strigata, is a highly invasive fouling species of great concern along intertidal shores in East and Southeast Asia, posing serious threats to native biodiversity and ecosystems. Intertidal areas, being increasingly attacked by heatwaves over the last decade, are among the most thermally challenging habitats, yet the fate of this highly invasive mussel under scenarios of hotter heatwaves remains unknown. Here, we investigated how M. strigata responded to intensifying heatwaves frequently occurring in the South China Sea. Over 97% of individuals survived the five-day-lasting heatwaves, suggesting their high ability to cope with short-term heatwaves. Virtually unaffected clearance rate and absorption efficiency throughout the course of heatwaves indicate the maintenance of energy acquisition, and significantly decreased respiration rate implies the depression of energy metabolism, generating significant decreases in the O:N ratio when heatwaves occurred. Scope for growth of heatwaves-stressed mussels significantly decreased during initial exposure and then increased over time. These findings indicate the remarkable ability of M. strigata to cope with heatwaves recorded in its invasive habitats and call the attention for the rapid spread of this highly invasive fouling species in the context of climate change. •Impacts of heatwaves on highly invasive mussels in China were examined.•Almost all mussels survived heatwaves frequently nowadays in intertidal areas.•Physiological energetics provided insights into mussel responses to heatwaves.
ISSN:0141-1136
1879-0291
DOI:10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.105948