Tropical species may be near thermal limits
Prof Tommy Hui Tin-yan (left), the first author of the paper and Assistant Professor of the Division of Science at Lingnan University, with the research team.
The research team selects six rocky shore sites in the Hong Kong SAR and Singapore, collecting a hundred and twenty-six adult tropical intertidal snails of similar size (62 Nerita undata and 64 Nerita yoldii, both belonging to the family Neritidae) for analysis.
The research team uses a programmable water bath to simulate the natural conditions of rocky shores in the Hong Kong SAR and Singapore, heating up during low tide exposure.
The research team attaches photocoupler sensors to the shells of the tropical intertidal snails to monitor their heart rate and body temperature responses in real time during the heating process.
With global warming and extreme weather intensifying, can animals enhance their thermal tolerance to cope with a continuously warming environment? A joint research project conducted by the Division of Science at Lingnan University and an international research team carried out empirical tests on tropical intertidal snails that have long lived under the scorching sun. The team simulated the real-world conditions of coastal rocks heating up under intense sunlight in the Hong Kong SAR and Singapore, and discovered that the maximum temperature of some rocks has approached the upper physiological thermal limit of these intertidal snails. This can cause cardiac arrest and an inability to maintain normal physiological functions, indicating that their thermal tolerance may not be able to increase indefinitely as the environment continues to warm, and future extreme heat events may increase their risk of mortality. The research findings have been published in the internationally renowned academic journal The Biological Bulletin.
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