Vol. 63, 2024

(update: 2024.4.16)

Lethal Consequences and Embryo Shell Shape Alterations in the Marine Gastropod Trophon geversianus Due to Elevated Temperatures

Rocío Aimé Nieto Vilela^1,2,3,*

, Sebastián Giulianelli³

, Soledad Zabala³

, Gregorio Bigatti^3,4,5

, and Federico Márquez^3,4

¹CIBIO, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources - InBIO Associate Laboratory, Campus of Vairão, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, Argentina. *Correspondence: E-mail: rocionietovilela@gmail.com (Nieto Vilela)
²CIT Río Negro (CONICET). Centro de investigaciones y transferencia de Río Negro. Rotonda cooperación y ruta provincial n°1. Cp. 8500. Viedma, Río Negro, Argentina
³LARBIM- IBIOMAR (CONICET), Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos, Blvd. Brown 2915, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina. E-mail: giulianelli@cenpat-conicet.gob.ar (Giulianelli); zabala@cenpat-conicet.gob.ar (Zabala); gbigatti@cenpat-conicet.gob.ar (Bigatti); fede@cenpat-conicet.gob.ar (Marquez)
⁴UNPSJB, Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Blvd. Brown 3100, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
⁵Universidad Espíritu Santo, Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador

(Received 11 April 2023 / Accepted 13 January 2024 / Published 16 April 2024)
Communicated by Benny K.K. Chan

Environmental temperature is increasing while natural populations are forced to adjust their life cycle to new conditions, resulting in the expression of new phenotypic traits. Still, the links between these new environmental conditions and the subsequent phenotypic expressions are not fully explored. Here, we conducted manipulative experiments with embryos of the marine gastropod Trophon geversianus to assess the effects of warmer temperatures upon shell form. We observed lethal effects together with alterations in the shell form (size + shape) of embryos exposed to 18°C water compared to the control temperature environment (13°C). Our results reveal that T. geversianus from Patagonian coasts growing under warm temperatures will change their phenotype by developing smaller and more elongated shells during ontogeny, as well as an expanded shell aperture, increasing their predation vulnerability. Therefore, we consider that the embryonic shell shape change could be a good biomarker of thermal stress produced at early developmental stages in marine gastropods.

Key words: Direct development, Atlantic Patagonia, 2D geometric morphometrics, Early development stages, Thermal stress

Citation: Nieto Vilela RA, Giulianelli S, Zabala S, Bigatti G, Márquez F. 2024. Lethal consequences and embryo shell shape alterations in the marine gastropod Trophon geversianus due to elevated temperatures. Zool Stud 63:08. doi:10.6620/ZS.2024.63-08.

Supplementary materials: Supplementary data 1