Effects of multiple stressors on coastal copepods: MULTICOP
Informations
- Funding country
Norway- Acronym
- -
- URL
- -
- Start date
- 1/1/2020
- End date
- 12/31/2023
- Budget
- 1,271,943 EUR
Fundings
| Name | Role | Start | End | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marine Resources and the Environment (MARINFORSK) - call 2016 | Grant | - | - | 1,271,943 EUR |
Abstract
Pollution is one of today's most pressing environmental challenges for life in the sea. Pollutants act in concert with natural stressors such as predation and starvation. In MULTICOP, we study the effects of combined biotic and anthropogenic stressors on key biological responses in important marine animals; the copepods. These small crustaceans are crucial to the functioning of the marine food web, as they are an important food source of fish. We combine lab, field and modelling studies to identify effects and mechanisms by which the perceived risk of being eaten changes the toxicity response to a common metal contaminant in copepods. We use the smell of three-spined sticklebacks to simulate predation risk and copper as our model pollutant. Copper is a widely and increasingly used antifouling biocide along the Norwegian coast. An analysis of published literature showed us that one of the major physical drivers of copper toxicity is temperature. However, little is known about the impact of biological stressors. In MULTICOP, we test the variation in responses within and between populations. To investigate effects of long-term exposure, we sampled copepods along a gradient from high to low aquaculture intensity near Stavanger. We then exposed them to predation risk and copper to test for differences in survival. We also set up a 3-month-long outdoor exposure experiment, in which we simulated tidal pools over the course of 3 generations. We took samples once a month to investigate population dynamics and physiological effects. Furthermore, we have already tested for differences in survival among several species sampled in the Oslofjord in order to increase the ecological relevance of our findings. These data are yet to be analysed. We will conduct more experiments on reproduction and foraging, and incorporate our results in models to identify mechanisms behind stressor interactions. Our aim is to increase our ability to predict population-level consequences of exposure and to assess whether considering multiple stressors for environmental monitoring purposes is necessary.