Ongoing climate change is leading to warmer and more acidic oceans. The future distribution of fish within the oceans depends on their capacity to adapt to these new environments. Only few studies have examined the effects of ocean acidification (OA) and warming (OW) on the metabolism of long-lived fish over successive generations. We therefore aimed to investigate the effect of OA on larval and juvenile growth and metabolism on two successive generations of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) as well as the effect of OAW on larval and juvenile growth and metabolism of the second generation. European sea bass is a large economically important fish species with a long generation time.
F0 larvae were produced at the aquaculture facility Aquastream (Ploemeur-Lorient, France) and obtained at 2 days post-hatch (dph). From 2 dph F0 larvae were reared in the laboratory in two PCO2 conditions (ambient and Δ1000). Larval rearing was performed in a temperature controlled room and water temperatures were fixed to 19°C in F0. In juveniles and adults, water temperatures of F0 sea bass were adjusted to ambient temperature in the Bay of Brest during summer (up to 19°C), but were kept constant at 15 and 12°C for juveniles and adults, respectively, when ambient temperature decreased below these values.
F1 embryos were obtained by artificial reproduction of F0 broodstock fish. Fertilized eggs were incubated at 15°C and at the same PCO2 conditions as respective F0. Division of F1 larvae from egg rearing tanks into experimental tanks took place at 2 dph. F1 larvae were reared in four OAW conditions: two temperatures (cold and warm life condition, C and W) and two PCO2 conditions (ambient and Δ1000). Larval rearing was performed in a temperature controlled room and water temperatures were fixed to 15 and 20°C for C and W larvae, respectively. In juveniles, water temperatures of F1 sea bass were adjusted to ambient temperature in the Bay of Brest during summer (up to 19°C), but were kept constant at 15°C when ambient temperature decreased below these values. F1-W was always 5°C warmer than the F1-C treatment.
OAW conditions for F0 and F1 rearing were chosen to follow the predictions of the IPCC for the next 130 years: ΔT = 5°C and ΔPCO2 = 1000 µatm, following RCP 8.5.
We analysed larval and juvenile growth in F0 and F1. Larval routine metabolic rates (RMR, in F1), juvenile standard metabolic rates (SMR, in F0 and F1) and juvenile critical oxygen concentrations (PO2crit, in F0 and F1) were obtained on individuals via intermittent flow-respirometry. Measurements were conducted at the rearing conditions of the respective larva or juvenile. Fish were fasted for 3h and 48-72h for larvae and juveniles, respectively. After the respirometry trial, larvae were photographed to measure there body length and frozen until measurement of dry mass. Juveniles body length and wet mass was directly determined with calipers and a balance.
