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Contributed Talk

Session: : Climate Change 4

COS 254-2 - CANCELLED - Epigenetic responses of cross generational acclimation to ocean warming and acidification in the purple sea urchin

Thursday, August 10, 2023
10:15 AM – 10:30 AM PDT
Location: B117
Abstract: The ability for marine organisms to acclimate to changing environments will play a critical role in population dynamics of many species experiencing increasingly unpredictable ocean conditions. Recent studies have indicated that sea urchins can be remarkably plastic, however the mechanisms underlying plasticity and acclimation remain poorly understood. We examined within and across generational responses of larval stages of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus in ambient (13°C), high temperature (18°C), high temperature and high pCO2 (18°C/1200 μatm) treatments to gain a better understanding of the epigenetic and transcriptional processes driving acclimation. Offspring of urchins conditioned for 4 months in high temperature treatments had higher thermal tolerances than those derived from urchins conditioned at 13°C (~22°C and ~20°C, respectively). Effects of adult conditioning on larvae were also reflected in differential gene expression analysis and methylation analysis, indicating that environmental conditions experienced by parents may have important implications for sea urchin populations under future ocean conditions.