Interactive effects of metal pollution and temperature on metabolism in aquatic ectotherms: implications of global climate change

CR Climate Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials CR 37:181-201 (2008) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/cr00764 Interactive effects of metal pollution and temperature on metabolism in aquatic ectotherms: implications of global climate change Inna M. Sokolova1,*, Gisela Lannig2 1Department of Biology, 381C Woodward Hall, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, USA 2Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany *Email: isokolov@uncc.edu ABSTRACT: In light of the current rising mean temperatures and fluctuations in temperature extremes involved in global climate change, a cause-and-effect understanding of the temperature-dependent impacts of additional environmental stressors on marine life is crucial for the elaboration of how marine ecosystems will shape in the future. The thermal environment plays a direct role in the distribution and survival of marine ectotherms through the temperature-dependent effects on their physiology, as well as indirectly by affecting the organism’s susceptibility to other biotic and abiotic stressors. We review studies that have investigated the effects of temperature and anthropogenic pollution by trace metals, with a focus on metabolic regulation as a major mechanism that underlies the interactive effects of temperature and metals on the physiology and survival of ectotherms. These studies suggest that impairment of energy metabolism plays a key role in the synergistic effects of these stressors, and we elaborate a mechanistic framework for understanding these interactions. Furthermore, the present study seeks to provide an impetus for future investigations in order to define more precisely the physiological mechanisms and functional properties of temperature–pollution interactions. KEY WORDS:Marine ecosystems · Global warming · Trace metals · Energy metabolism · Stress tolerance · Mitochondria Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Sokolova IM, Lannig G (2008) Interactive effects of metal pollution and temperature on metabolism in aquatic ectotherms: implications of global climate change. Clim Res 37:181-201. https://doi.org/10.3354/cr00764 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in CR Vol. 37, No. 2-3. Online publication date: October 16, 2008 Print ISSN: 0936-577X; Online ISSN: 1616-1572 Copyright © 2008 Inter-Research.