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Publication
Long-snouted seahorse, Hippocampus guttulatus, under global warming
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The earth’s climate system and the global
ocean have been warming up, since the mid-twentieth
century and it is expected that the global and ocean´s
temperature will rise in the next years even more
[1,2,13,25,28]. For ectotherms, such as fish, temperature
is a determinant cue for several behavioural [29],
physiological [24], and metabolic processes [6].
Seahorses’ particular life history makes them vulnerable
to human or natural disturbances [17]. The long snout
seahorse, Hippocampus guttulatus, is one of the two
species that inhabit the coastal areas of Portugal [23]. The
present study aims to assess the effects of ocean warming
on growth, feed intake and behavior patterns of adult H.
guttulatus. Results provide clear evidence of detrimental
effects of exposure to warming on this species. Under
extreme temperatures (24ºC), the increased food
ingestion was not enough for fish to support growth
(weighted less), which suggests that fish were spending
energy to counterbalance the thermal stress they were
exposed to. Fish under both elevated temperature
treatments (20 and 24ºC) were also spending more energy
in active behaviours. Altogether, these data may indicate
that ocean warming will have a drastic effect on seahorse
populations currently inhabiting the Sado estuary.
Description
Keywords
Seahorses Hippocampus guttulatus Climate change Behavior Physiology
Citation
Costa, A. B., Correia, M., Silva, G., Silva, G. & Faria, A. M. (2022). Long-snouted sea.horse, Hippocampus guttulatus, under global warming. in IEEE Xplore, 569-552. https://doi.org/10.1109/MetroSea55331.2022.9950967
