Physiological responses of the abalone Haliotis discus hannai to daily and seasonal temperature variations

Abstract

Organisms inhabiting tidal mixing-front zones in shallow temperate seas are subjected to large semidiurnal temperature fuctuations in summer. The ability to optimize energy acquisition to this episodic thermal oscillation may determine the survival, growth and development of these ectotherms. We compared the physiological and molecular responses of Haliotis discus hannai cultivated in suspended cages to fuctuating or stable temperature conditions. Several physiological indicators (respiration, excretion rates and O:N) were measured in both conditions, and alterations in the proteome during thermal fuctuations were assessed. No summer mortality was observed in abalone cultivated in fuctuating temperatures compared with that at stable high temperatures. Metabolic rates increased sharply during stable warm summer conditions and fuctuated in accordance with short-term temperature fuctuations (20–26°C). Ammonia excretion rates during acute responses were comparable in both conditions. When abalone were exposed to fuctuating temperatures, enzyme activities were downregulated and structure-related protein expression was upregulated compared with that at an acclimation temperature (26°C), highlighting that exposure to low temperatures during fuctuations alters molecular processes. Our results reveal that modulation of physiological traits and protein expression during semidiurnal thermal fuctuations may bufer abalone from the lethal consequences of extreme temperatures in summer.