Metabolic scaling of an invasive mussel depends on temperature and chemical cues from an invasive predator.

Metabolism drives various biological processes, potentially influencing the ecological success and evolutionary fitness of species. Understanding diverse metabolic rates is fundamental in biology. Mechanisms underlying adaptation to factors like temperature and predation pressure remain unclear. Our study explored the role of temperature and predation pressure in shaping the metabolic scaling of an invasive mussel species (Brachidontes pharaonis). Specifically, we performed laboratory-based experiments to assess the effects of phenotypic plasticity on the metabolic scaling by exposing the mussels to water conditions with and without predator cues from another invasive species (the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus) across various temperature regimes. We found that temperature effects on metabolic scaling of the invasive mussels are mediated by the presence of chemical cues of an invasive predator, the blue crab. Investigating temperature-predator interactions underscores the importance of studying the ecological effects of global warming. Our research advances our understanding of how environmental factors jointly impact physiological processes.

Predicting the effect of fouling organisms and climate change on integrated shellfish aquaculture.

Aquaculture industry represents a continuously growing sector playing a fundamental role in pursuing United Nation's goals. Increasing sea-surface temperatures, the growth of encrusting species and current cage cleaning practices proved to affect the productivity of commercial species. Here, through a Dynamic Energy Budget application under two different IPCC scenarios, we investigate the long-term effects of Pennaria disticha fragments' on Mytilus galloprovincialis' functional traits as a result of cage cleaning practices. While Climate-Change did not exert a marked effect on mussels' Life-History traits, the simulated effect of cage cleanings highlighted a positive effect on total weight, fecundity and time to commercial size. West-Mediterranean emerged as the most affected sector, with Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey between the top-affected countries. These outcomes confirm the reliability of a DEB-approach in projecting at different spatial and temporal scale eco-physiological results, avoiding the limitation of short-term studies and the difficulties of long-term ones.