Tale of two seas: temperature and oxygen partial pressure effects on the metabolic rates of Salpa fusiformis from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans

Salps are found throughout the world's oceans and are an important part of the carbon cycling; yet, little is known about how environmental factors affect their metabolic physiology. We examined the effect of temperature and oxygen partial pressure (Pcrit) on the aerobic metabolism of Salpa fusiformis from the Sargasso Sea (Atlantic) and the California Current (Pacific). Routine metabolic rate at temperatures consistent with the surface and 150–200 m showed a similar Q10 of 3.81 and 3.45, respectively. Limited Pcrit data were also similar, despite the very different oxygen profiles between the two locations. These findings support a species-specific, basin-independent effect that may be driven by the demands of a similar diel vertical migration. This study provides rare comparative data on the environmental physiology within a single salp species from two basins. Further studies of basic physiological processes are needed to determine the impact that climate change will have on this critical group of zooplankton.