Climate change is increasing the temperature variability animals face, and thermal acclimatization allows animals to adjust adaptively to this variability. While the rate of heat-acclimatization has received some study, little is known about how long these adaptive changes remain without continuing exposure to heat stress. This study explored the rate at which field-acclimatization states are lost when temperature variability is minimized during constant submersion. California mussels (Mytilus californianus) with different acclimatization states were collected from high- and low-zone sites (∼12°C vs. ∼5°C daily temperature ranges, respectively) and then kept submerged at 15°C for eight weeks. Each week, mussels’ cardiac thermal performance was measured as a metric of acclimatization state; critical (Tcrit) and flatline (FLT) temperatures were recorded. Across eight weeks of constant submersion high-zone mussels’ mean Tcrit decreased by 1.07°C from baseline, but low-zone mussels’ mean Tcrit was unchanged. High- and low-zone mussels’ mean maximum heart rate (HR) and resting HR decreased ∼12% and 35%, respectively. FLT was unchanged in both groups. These data suggest that Tcrit and HR are more physiologically plastic in response to the narrowing of an animal's daily temperature range than is FLT, and that an animal's prior acclimatization state (high vs. low) influences the acclimatory capacity of Tcrit. Approximately two months were required for the high-zone mussels’ cardiac thermal performance to reach that of the low-zone mussels, suggesting that acclimatization to high and variable temperatures may persist long enough to enable these animals to cope with intermittent bouts of heat stress.
Mussels' acclimatization to high, variable temperatures is lost slowly upon transfer to benign conditions
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Nicole E. Moyen, George N. Somero, Mark W. Denny; Mussels' acclimatization to high, variable temperatures is lost slowly upon transfer to benign conditions. J Exp Biol 2020; jeb.222893. doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.222893
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