Seminar: Dr. Krista Kraskura (University of California, Santa Barbara)

Title: Variation, causes, and consequences of body size-specific vulnerability to warming in fishes

Speaker: Dr. Krista Kraskura (University of California, Santa Barbara)

Host: Dr. Sook Chung 

Abstract: Temperature and body size are fundamental factors shaping physiological and ecological processes across all levels of biological organization. Understanding the relationship between these two factors is essential to further understanding species-specific responses to a warming climate, especially because one common response of ectotherms to warming is a decline in body size. Consequences of declining body size in fishes may be decreasing fisheries output, reduced population productivity, and altered size-structure function of communities. However, the physiological mechanisms driving body size and life-stage specific vulnerability to warming are poorly understood. Our work used three approaches: i) meta-analysis of metabolic scaling relationships, ii) laboratory and field eco-physiology studies investigating mechanisms of altered aerobic metabolism of different size individuals, and iii) interdisciplinary conservation physiology investigating consequences of size-specific vulnerability in salmon. We found pronounced variation in metabolic scaling relationships with temperature and across species with various ecologies and morphologies. In lab and field studies, we identify the scaling of cardiac thermal tolerance in live-bearing, barred surfperch. Furthermore, we connect how scaling of aerobic swim performance in adult salmon could lead to negative ecological consequences of shifting body sizes. Interdisciplinary research using varied approaches and considering broad time- and spatial- scales is necessary to conceptualize the mechanisms and the possible consequences of the size-specific vulnerability of fishes and other ectotherms.

For meeting information please contact imetdirectorsoffice@umces.edu.