Integrated organismal responses induced by projected levels of CO 2 and temperature exposures in the early life stages of lake sturgeon

Atmospheric CO and temperature are rising concurrently, and may have profound impacts on the transcriptional, physiological and behavioural responses of aquatic organisms. Further, spring snowmelt may cause transient increases of pCO in many freshwater systems. We examined the behavioural, physiological and transcriptomic responses of an ancient fish, the lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) to projected levels of warming and pCO during its most vulnerable period of life, the first year. Specifically, larval fish were raised in either low (16°C) or high (22°C) temperature, and/or low (1000 μatm) or high (2500 μatm) pCO in a crossed experimental design over approximately 8 months. Following overwintering, lake sturgeon were exposed to a transient increase in pCO of 10,000 μatm, simulating a spring melt based on data in freshwater systems. Transcriptional analyses revealed potential connections to otolith formation and reduced growth in fish exposed to high pCO and temperature in combination. Network analyses of differential gene expression revealed different biological processes among the different treatments on the edges of transcriptional networks. Na /K -ATPase activity increased in fish not exposed to elevated pCO during development, and mRNA abundance of the β subunit was most strongly predictive of enzyme activity. Behavioural assays revealed a decrease in total activity following an acute CO exposure. These results demonstrate compensatory and compounding mechanisms of pCO and warming dependent on developmental conditions in lake sturgeon. Conserved elements of the cellular stress response across all organisms provide key information for how other freshwater organisms may respond to future climate change.