Meeting Abstract
Current knowledge of the transcriptomic effects of temperature on Antarctic organisms is limited to vertebrates (antifreeze proteins, oxidative stress genes, heat shock mechanisms) or to upper thermal limits. Few if any studies to date have utilized transcriptomics to directly focus on functional and differential responses to Antarctic benthic marine invertebrates to temperatures approaching lowest survivable limits. Technological advances allow molecular genomic studies to investigate functional genomics as they relate to the physiological mechanisms and responses of organisms to lower temperature extremes. In this study we examine the transcriptomes of the widespread Antarctic sea spider Nymphon australe to identify candidate genes involved in its ability to thrive at low temperatures (i.e., below 0C) and how they respond to rapid, short-term thermal increases. In this, we completed a series of experimental trials where the sea spiders were exposed to different temperature regimes and monitored changes over an ecologically relevant time period. Due to the rapid pace of climate change in regions of Antarctica, there is urgency to more fully understand physiological responses of temperature on Antarctic organisms such as Nymphon australe, not just over longer time periods, but for scenarios that the organisms would see on a daily basis. This study tests major dogma about Antarctic invertebrates having novel mechanisms for dealing with freezing temperatures and it has significant implications for how researchers understand the function of species under adverse and changing conditions.
