Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Aggregation behavior of pacific nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma unami) associated with seasonal water temperature changes in a tropical upwelling bay","authors":"Sergio Madrigal-Mora ,&nbsp;Christopher G. Lowe ,&nbsp;Christopher Clark ,&nbsp;Mario Espinoza","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152138","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152138","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Aggregations form as individuals respond to common drivers like prey availability, predator avoidance, reproduction, or environmental conditions. Pacific Nurse Sharks (<em>Ginglymostoma unami</em>) form aggregations in the shallow waters of Santa Elena Bay, north Pacific of Costa Rica, a region where seasonal upwelling (from December to April) causes water temperatures to decrease as low as 16 °C from mean annual temperatures of 28 °C. We expected <em>G. unami</em> aggregations to form when individuals seek out warmer pockets in shallow sites to avoid colder upwelling conditions in non-aggregation sites. Using unoccupied aerial vehicle surveys (UAV; drone) and in situ seafloor temperature loggers, we test whether the occurrence of <em>G. unami</em> aggregations are associated with water temperature changes between upwelling and non-upwelling seasons. We tested this hypothesis at two spatial resolutions: (1) “site-wide” resolution, comparing mean temperatures between sites; and (2) “within-site” resolution, considering temperature variations in a single aggregation site. At the site-wide scale, water temperature variation was associated with aggregating behavior. During upwelling events, aggregations were most often observed at sites with warmer waters, suggesting behavioral thermoregulation to avoid cold upwelling conditions. However, temperature had a limited effect explaining the fine-scale occurrence of aggregations within sites. Hence, we expect other factors, such as conspecific attraction, to drive this behavior as well. Understanding where and why these aggregations occur is essential for management, especially considering the potential alterations to <em>G. unami'</em>s behavior under changing upwelling patterns related to climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"593 ","pages":"Article 152138"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145268582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rule change: Behavioral phenotyping and adaptive strategies of black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii) during social hierarchy reestablishment","authors":"Shufei Xu ,&nbsp;Songmeng Chen ,&nbsp;Xinna Ma ,&nbsp;Yang Xiao ,&nbsp;Chao Ma ,&nbsp;Liuxiang Du ,&nbsp;Hongwei Liu ,&nbsp;Zhen Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152136","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152136","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the behavioral phenotyping and adaptive strategies of black rockfish (<em>Sebastes schlegelii</em>) during social hierarchy reestablishment. Five groups of seven fish were observed in two phases: hierarchy formation and subsequent disruption-induced reestablishment, each phase involved a 5-day isolation period followed by a 5-day hierarchy formation period. The results revealed that: (1) During both hierarchy formation phases, high-ranking (α) individuals exhibited significantly greater distance to center-point, higher angular velocity, shorter latency to first movement, and reduced immobility time compared to low-ranking (γ) individuals. (2) After hierarchy disruption, all individuals showed increased acceleration, α individuals displayed significantly higher acceleration than both intermediate-ranking (β) and γ individuals, and β individuals surpassed γ individuals. (3) Principal component analysis (PCA) identified acceleration and activity as key behavioral determinants of hierarchy formation and reestablishment. Although rank order remained stable after α removal, newly promoted β individuals exhibited significantly increased acceleration, indicating behavioral plasticity. In summary, dominant individuals consistently displayed higher activity and broader spatial exploration, while subordinates initially exhibited prolonged immobility. During hierarchy reestablishment, subordinates adapted to the new social context through behavioral plasticity, adopting more proactive movement strategies. These findings elucidate the relationship between social status and locomotion in <em>S. schlegelii</em>, providing a framework for studying social dynamics in aquaculture and behavioral ecology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"593 ","pages":"Article 152136"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145221695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of marine snow particle distribution and density gradients on the foraging behavior of Calanus pacificus","authors":"Elena C. Beckhaus ,&nbsp;Christian Briseño-Avena ,&nbsp;Moira Décima ,&nbsp;Jeannette Yen ,&nbsp;Maya L. Young ,&nbsp;Jennifer C. Prairie","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152137","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152137","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Copepods play a critical role in transferring energy up the food web and can often exhibit foraging strategies that allow them to capitalize on patchy prey environments such as marine snow layers. Since marine snow layers co-occur with density gradients in the field, we evaluated how each of these affected copepod foraging behavior by exposing <em>Calanus pacificus</em> to treatments with different distributions of marine snow and with and without density stratification. Swimming behavior was recorded in the lab using imaging in 2D and 3D. We observed significantly higher residence time of copepods in the middle of the tank in the two treatments with a density gradient – both the one with a marine snow layer (which is created using a density gradient) and the one without marine snow – although the accumulation of copepods was more intense when the marine snow layer was present. Copepods also exhibited higher jump frequency and lower vertical velocity in the middle of the tank in the two treatments with a density gradient. Gut content analysis showed that copepods ingested marine snow when exposed to the marine snow layer and the homogenous distribution of aggregates, with possibly higher ingestion in the layer treatment. These results suggest that density gradients may act as a primary physical cue – with the presence of chemical cues having a potential secondary effect. Behavioral responses to these cues allow copepods to find and remain in marine snow layers, providing insight into how these interactions can disrupt the sinking of marine snow, which transports carbon to the deep ocean.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"593 ","pages":"Article 152137"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145221694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characterizing antioxidant defense and energy metabolism proxies in a neglected Mediterranean ecosystem engineer: Sabellaria spinulosa (Leuckart, 1849)","authors":"Giusto Lo Bue ,&nbsp;Caterina Ciacci ,&nbsp;Sabrina Burattini ,&nbsp;Fabrizio Frontalini ,&nbsp;Mar Santos-Simón ,&nbsp;Nicoletta Mancin","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152135","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152135","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Littoral environments are highly productive systems that commonly face intense anthropogenic pressures. Polychaete sabellariid (Annelida) reef ecosystems play crucial roles in coastal environments by providing essential habitat, sustaining biodiversity, mitigating erosion and, thus, conveying valuable ecosystem services. Despite their ecological importance, these sedentary organisms and their physiological state are poorly studied, representing a real gap for assessing ecosystem health and resilience. This study aims at providing valuable baseline data by investigating size-related variations in antioxidant defense mechanisms and energy metabolism in the reef-building polychaete <em>Sabellaria spinulosa</em> (Leuckart, 1849). Specimens were collected from veneer-type bioconstructions growing along the northern Adriatic coast of Italy (Mediterranean Sea) during spring seasons in a two-year field survey. We analyzed key enzymatic biomarkers in adult specimens of <em>S. spinulosa</em> characterized by different sizes. Small-size individuals displayed higher activities of antioxidant enzymes (CAT, GPx, SOD, GSR, and GST) and pyruvate kinase (PK). Conversely, larger specimens exhibited elevated phosphofructokinase (PFK) activity, indicating a metabolism probably more prone to energy storage and stress resilience. The consistency of the observed enzymatic patterns across two sampling years highlights robust, size-dependent physiological differences in <em>S. spinulosa</em>. By establishing this clear physiological baseline, our findings underscore the suitability of this species as a sentinel for environmental monitoring. Its widespread distribution allows for large-scale comparative assessments, while its ecological tolerance enables the detection of the sub-lethal stress responses that are crucial for early-warning biomonitoring programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"593 ","pages":"Article 152135"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145110038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diatom defense strategies: Impact of predation on DAB and BMAA production in Phaeodactylum tricornutum","authors":"Sea-Yong Kim ,&nbsp;Per Hedberg ,&nbsp;Ulla Rasmussen ,&nbsp;Sara Rydberg","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152134","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152134","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>2, 4-diaminobutryic acid (DAB) and its structural isomer β-<em>N</em>-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) are environmental agents associated with neurotoxicity. A variety of aquatic microorganisms, including diatoms, have the capability to produce DAB and BMAA. Previous research has demonstrated an increase in DAB production in the diatom <em>Thalassiosira pseudonana</em> as a result of predation. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether the production of DAB as a defensive metabolite is a species-specific strategy or a general approach employed by diatoms to counter predation. The diatom species <em>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</em> and <em>Chaetoceros socialis</em>, along with the copepod <em>Tigriopus</em> sp. were used for the experiment. The copepod did not consume <em>C. socialis</em>, and no specific regulation of DAB and BMAA productions was observed in any of the diatom species. The findings show that the production of DAB and BMAA does not contribute to the defense mechanisms of the diatom <em>P. tricornutum</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"593 ","pages":"Article 152134"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145107495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The influence of ocean environmental factors on trace element composition of the mussel Perna canaliculus across a large embayment","authors":"Wenjie Wu ,&nbsp;Carolyn J. Lundquist ,&nbsp;Andrew G. Jeffs","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152133","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152133","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Measured differences in the concentrations of trace elements incorporated into calcified structures from surrounding waters are increasingly being used to infer the pathways of the pelagic stages of marine organisms, such as larval mollusks. These methods typically distinguish between sites separated by more than 10 km, but spatial accuracy varies considerably among species and the ocean areas to which the methods are applied. Spatial accuracy of these methods can be diminished by variability in the uptake of trace elements by organisms caused by factors, such as water temperature and pelagic food availability, which influence calcification and growth in pelagic organisms. To attempt to identify those environmental factors which may influence the uptake of trace elements, this study explored the relationships between seven satellite-sensed ocean environmental variables, including freshwater input (ADET), sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll-a concentration (CHL), light at seabed (EBED), seawater turbidity (BBP), visibility (HVIS), and opacity (KPAR), and the concentrations of six reference trace elements (i.e., ⁷Li, ⁵⁹Co, ⁶⁰Ni, ¹³⁸Ba, ¹³⁹La, and ²³⁸U) in the shell of mussels (<em>Perna canaliculus</em>). Mussel shells were cultured over two sequential five-week periods at 22 sites over a 110 km range within a large coastal embayment in northern New Zealand, the Bay of Plenty. A generalized regression model (GLM) for each of six trace elements was established using satellite environmental data and microchemical profiles from mussel shells collected at 18 successfully sampled sites. The GLM results showed that environmental variables BBP and KPAR were correlated with five of six measured elements in mussel shell (i.e., ⁷Li, ⁵⁹Co, ⁶⁰Ni, ¹³⁸Ba, ¹³⁹La). Subsequently, the GLMs then successfully predicted the elemental levels for four sampling sites without elemental data from mussel shells, with an average accuracy of about 58.3 % and up to 75 % for the individual elements of ⁷Li, ¹³⁸Ba and ²³⁸U. Moreover, the addition of these GLM-predicted shell microchemistry data to a microchemical reference atlas improved its ability to predict the spatial range of mussel pelagic pathways by around 28 %, with only a minor sacrifice in prediction accuracy (6 %). Overall, these results indicate good potential for incorporating satellite environmental data for both improving the efficiency of field sampling for microchemistry studies, and for increasing the applicable spatial scale of microchemistry atlases based on in situ sampling. Collectively, the use of remotely-sensed environmental data has the potential to be used to significantly improve the performance of microchemistry methods for inferring connectivity pathways of the pelagic stages of marine organisms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"593 ","pages":"Article 152133"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145107494","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multispecies approach shows high tolerance of temperate marine sponges to nitrogenous fertiliser","authors":"Gabriela Wood ,&nbsp;Rob McAllen ,&nbsp;Lisa Woods ,&nbsp;Alan C. Wood ,&nbsp;Luke Harman ,&nbsp;James J. Bell","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152132","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152132","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Excessive use of nitrogen fertilisers increases crop yields but leads to nutrient run-off into coastal habitats causing harmful algal blooms (HABs) and eutrophication. The mechanisms by which organisms respond to nitrogen input are poorly understood in sessile filter feeders. Despite their ecological importance, there is a paucity of research on how marine sponges respond to fertiliser inputs. In this study, seven temperate marine sponge species from two oceans were exposed to fertiliser for 13 days (NE Atlantic Ocean: <em>Cliona celata</em>, <em>Stelligera stuposa</em>, <em>Axinella dissimilis</em>, and <em>Suberites carnosus</em>) and 10 days (SW Pacific Ocean: <em>Crella incrustans</em>, <em>Suberites australiensis</em>, and <em>Tethya bergquistae</em>). In both oceans, sponges were exposed to three locally relevant environmental treatments. In the NE Atlantic (Lough Hyne, Ireland), concentrations included ambient seawater without fertiliser, 4–6 mg L⁻¹ NO₃-N (286–426 μM NO₃), and 16–19 mg L⁻¹ NO₃-N (1143–1357 μM NO₃). In the SW Pacific (Wellington, Central New Zealand), concentrations included ambient seawater without fertiliser, 1 mg L⁻¹ NO₃-N (71 μM NO₃), and 5–7 mg L⁻¹ NO₃-N (357–500 μM NO₃). Sponges showed high survival rates (&gt;95 %) in both experiments and only one species, <em>Cliona celata</em>, showed evidence of health effects. Respiration rates in NE Atlantic sponges were variable, with no consistent patterns across species or treatments. In contrast, there were no differences in respiration rates between control and treatment sponges from the SW Pacific. Overall, our results show that temperate sponges have a high tolerance to fertiliser exposure, regardless of study site, which is consistent with studies of tropical sponge species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"593 ","pages":"Article 152132"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145027809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gamma (γ)-aminobutyric acid (GABA) improves feeding, growth rate, and growth hormone of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus at high stocking density","authors":"Ruihuan Tian,&nbsp;Qiuzhen Song,&nbsp;Guo Wu,&nbsp;Xiang Li,&nbsp;Xiyuan Huang,&nbsp;Yunjie Yang,&nbsp;Huiyan Wang,&nbsp;Chong Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152131","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152131","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gamma (γ)-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a critical neuromodulator in behavioral and growth regulation of organisms. The present study showed that feeding behavior significantly reduced when individuals were cultured in a high-density stocking environment, and that dietary GABA significantly ameliorated the effect of high density on feeding behavior. We further found that high density significantly reduced the protease activity and defecation rate of sea cucumbers, indicating a suppressed digestion. No significant difference was found in the protease activity and defecation rate between individuals fed with dietary GABA and those fed without dietary GABA at high density, suggesting that dietary GABA did not improve digestion. Additionally, cortisol level significantly increased when the density of stocking increased, and dietary GABA did not relieve the elevated cortisol level.</div><div>The growth rate directly affects the efficiency of sea cucumber aquaculture. The specific growth rate (SGR) and the level of growth hormone significantly reduced, while the coefficient of variation (CV) increased significantly at high density. These results revealed the inhibited growth performance at high density was potentially linked to reduced growth hormone level. We further found that dietary GABA improved the SGR and the level of growth hormone, but had no significant effect on individual growth difference of sea cucumbers cultured in high density.</div><div>In conclusion, this study demonstrates that dietary GABA enhances growth rate by increasing feeding behavior and growth hormone level, but not by improving digestive capacity and stress hormone level. We suggest GABA serve as a feed supplement to partially mitigate growth suppression in high-density aquaculture of sea cucumbers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"592 ","pages":"Article 152131"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144996623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Methods for precipitating plasma proteins for stable isotope analysis of elasmobranch blood","authors":"Alexander M. Rubin ,&nbsp;Sunita R. Shah Walter ,&nbsp;John A. Mohan ,&nbsp;Aaron B. Carlisle","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152127","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152127","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stable isotope analysis can provide insight into the ecology of elasmobranchs across spatiotemporal scales, with metabolically active tissues, such as blood plasma, providing information on recent diet. However, the stable isotopic composition of plasma can be challenging to interpret because plasma is a systemic transport tissue containing many dissolved constituents in variable amounts. Previous efforts to selectively remove plasma constituents known to confound isotopic interpretation have limited effectiveness, leading to the current practice of analyzing whole plasma. Here we propose an alternative method of targeting proteins within plasma by solvent-based protein precipitation, and evaluate the effectiveness of ethanol and acetonitrile to isolate the protein fraction of plasma. We tested a commercially-prepared bovine serum albumin standard as well as to plasma from wild Sandbar Sharks and compare the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic composition and C:N of untreated plasma to precipitated protein. We observed no change in the stable isotope composition or C:N in bovine serum albumin samples, indicating protein precipitation itself does not introduce a stable isotopic or elemental bias. Protein isolation of Sandbar Shark plasma resulted in a statistically-significant decrease in δ¹³C values and increase in C:N compared to untreated plasma. No significant effect was observed on δ¹⁵N values. Our results for precipitated proteins are not consistent with a simple loss of lipids and urea from whole plasma, and suggest a heterogenous composition of plasma. We find that protein precipitation provides a reproducible and promising method of isolating a specific and informative fraction of plasma for stable isotope studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"592 ","pages":"Article 152127"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144913460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Increasing tidal inundation does not buffer heat stress effects: Implications for benthic ecosystem responses to climate change","authors":"Simon D. Thomas,&nbsp;Ines Bartl,&nbsp;Simon F. Thrush","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152130","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152130","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intertidal soft sediments are on the frontline of climate change effects, subject to increasing atmospheric heatwave intensity alongside rising sea levels. Longer inundation periods can keep sediments more saturated with water, potentially providing a thermal buffer against atmospheric heatwaves and creating refugia for resident communities and the ecosystem functions they produce. To assess this effect, we set up a field experiment to simulate a heat stress event along a gradient of inundation time on an intertidal flat using open top heat chambers. We examined how heat stress and inundation interact to influence sediment temperature, and how this in turn affects CO₂ flux, a proxy for ecosystem metabolism, and its relationship to key ecological covariates. We found that in ambient conditions, maximum sediment temperature decreased with increasing inundation. However, under heat stress, this relationship reversed, with maximum sediment temperature increasing with inundation, suggesting that more saturated sediments conduct heat more efficiently and promote higher temperatures under prolonged heat stress. Despite this temperature anomaly, the effect of heat stress on ecosystem metabolism remained consistent across the inundation gradient, indicating that increasing inundation time does not provide refugia from heat stress, nor does the elevated temperature anomaly amplify metabolic responses. Resilience mechanisms such as functional redundancy and compensatory interactions in sediment communities may have buffered against temperature variability, therefore maintaining function under heat stress. Our findings highlight the complex interactions between heat stress and inundation and suggest that sea level rise will not provide straightforward thermal refugia for soft sediment ecosystem function.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"592 ","pages":"Article 152130"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144902756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}