engleski

Effect of temperature and eutrophication on life history traits of the endemic bivalve Pinna nobilis: A dynamic energy budget approach

The noble pen shell Pinna nobilis L. is the largest and an endemic bivalve mollusc of the Mediterranean. Threatened by anthropogenic and environmental pressures, it is listed as an endangered species and is thus protected by the EU Habitat Directive, and by the local laws of all Mediterranean EU countries. To improve effectiveness of conservation and management strategies for this species, a better understanding of the relationship between the environmental conditions and the bivalve’s life history traits is needed. However, limited data is available, especially for early life stages. We present a dynamic energy budget (DEB) model of P. nobilis, a mechanistic approach that links physiological processes of an individual in a single framework, allowing us to address the life cycle and life history traits using available data. The DEB model was incorporated in a nutrient-phytoplankton-zooplankton (NPZ) modelling framework, which was in turn used to assess effects of two major pressures, eutrophication and temperature, on the bivalve's life history. The resulting mechanistic model successfully describes ontogeny of P. nobilis, providing parameter estimates and model predictions comparable to the data. Also, the model quantified effects of changes in temperature and nutrient concentration on the physiological processes and life history traits of the bivalve. The model presented here is the first DEB model made for the life cycle of endangered bivalve Pinna nobilis. Although we focused on eutrophication and temperature as forcing variables, the model can readily incorporate other stressors, such as ocean acidification and hypoxia, both known to be linked with changes in physiology and energy allocation of calcifying organisms.

noble pen shell ; dynamic energy budget ; NPZ model ; temperature ; eutrophication

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