Diet changes thermal acclimation capacity, but not acclimation rate in a marine ectotherm (Girella nigricans) during warming

Abstract

AbstractGlobal climate change is increasing thermal variability in coastal marine environments and the frequency, intensity, and duration of marine heatwaves. At the same time, nutritional resources are being altered by anthropogenic environmental changes. Marine ectotherms often cope with changes in temperature through physiological acclimation, which can take several weeks to occur and is a nutritionally demanding process. Here, we tested the hypothesis that different ecologically relevant diets (omnivorous, herbivorous, carnivorous) can impact thermal acclimation rate and capacity, using a temperate omnivorous fish as a model (opaleye;Girella nigricans). We measured acute thermal performance curves for maximum heart rate because cardiac function has been observed to set upper thermal limits in ectotherms. Opaleye acclimated rapidly after warming, but their thermal limits and acclimation rate were not affected by diet. However, the fish’s acclimation capacity for maximum heart rate was sensitive to diet, with fish in the herbivorous treatment displaying the smallest change in heart rate throughout acclimation. Mechanistically, ventricle fatty acid composition differed with diet treatment and was significantly related to cardiac performance in ways consistent with homoviscous adaptation. Our results suggest that diet is an important, but often overlooked, determinant of thermal performance in ectotherms on environmentally relevant timescales.