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Macoma balthica in Spain, a few decades back in climate history
Jansen, J.M.; Pronker, A.E.; Bonga, S.W.; Hummel, H. (2007). Macoma balthica in Spain, a few decades back in climate history. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 344(2): 161-169. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2006.12.014
In: Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. Elsevier: New York. ISSN 0022-0981; e-ISSN 1879-1697, more
Peer reviewed article  

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Keywords
    Biological phenomena > Adaptations > Acclimation
    Climatic changes
    Metabolism
    Phenology
    Population factors > Condition factor
    Properties > Biological properties > Tolerance
    Properties > Physical properties > Thermodynamic properties > Temperature
    Respiration
    Starvation
    Translocation
    Zoogeography
    Bivalvia [WoRMS]; Macoma balthica (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    climate change; respiration; temperature; tolerance; translocation

Authors  Top 
  • Jansen, J.M.
  • Pronker, A.E.
  • Bonga, S.W.
  • Hummel, H., more

Abstract
    The marine bivalve Macoma balthica has disappeared from the Spanish part of the Bay of Biscay during the past four decades. Investigating the possible role of climate change in forcing this species up north, we translocated it down south, back into two Spanish estuaries, and followed the thermal acclimatization of the metabolic rate during spring, summer and autumn. Our results reveal that in natural populations the respiratory response to temperature becomes down-regulated during summer and autumn. The respiration rate in the southward translocated populations became down-regulated to a safe level at very high temperatures (31 °C), but remained high at average temperatures instead. These translocated populations showed a gradual reduction of the condition-index, down to the level of starvation at the end of summer. Combined with an increased metabolic rate this indicates that the translocated specimens suffered from elevated maintenance rates. We conclude that short-term but frequent exposure to > 30 °C in the Spanish estuaries, induces elevated maintenance rates in M. balthica, and ultimately starvation. M. balthica indeed disappeared from the northern Spanish coast due to increasing summer maxima during the last decades. We prospect that the southern distribution limit of M. balthica will shift further north, and that the clam will eventually disappear from the entire Bay of Biscay with future increases in summer temperatures.

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