EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON TISSUE TURNOVER RATE OF GAMMARUS MINUS AND CAECIDOTEA KENKI

As global temperatures rise due to climate change it is important to investigate the impact that increasing temperatures will have on the organisms living on this planet. This study investigated the effects of temperature on the tissue turnover rate of the freshwater amphipod, Gammarus minus, and the isopod Caecidotea kenki. This was done by looking at the tissue turnover rate via δ13C at three temperatures 5°C, 12°C, and 18°C. It was found that for C. kenki there was a very clear and steady increase in the tissue turnover rate as the temperature increases going from 0.01 day−1 at 5°C, 0.025 day−1 at 12°C, and 0.032 day−1 at 18°C. G. minus had a less steady increase with the tissue turnover rate going from 0.013 day−1 at 5°C, to 0.033 day−1 at 12°C, and 0.029 day−1 at 18°C. The tissue turnover rate for G. minus seems to level out between 12°C and 18°C. The variability in the change in tissue turnover was also analyzed and it was found that C. kenki had increasing variability that aligned with increasing temperatures. G. minus however did not show any change in variability with the temperature change. This data suggests that G. minus will not do as well with increasing temperatures compared to C. kenki. The results from this study also show that tissue turnover via δ13C is an effective tool for understanding metabolic rates in very small organisms where traditional methods are very difficult and expensive.