The Role of Physiology in Predicting Marine Species’ Resilience to Climate Change

Incorporating species’ ability to adaptively respond to climate change is critical for robustly predicting population persistence and identifying mitigation strategies. In this seminar, I will present two case studies on the physiological impacts of climate change on marine species in highly dynamic environments, where organisms may already be adapted to conditions similar to those expected elsewhere in the future. The first case study focuses on the Galápagos islands, where scleractinian corals endure thermal fluctuations spanning extreme heat and cold. I will present archipelago-wide coral thermal performance data for branching and mounding corals, with insights into the mechanistic basis of thermal tolerance. The second case study examines the California Current Ecosystem, where nearshore rockfish face low oxygen and high pCO2 during upwelling events. I will discuss the physiological impacts of these stressors across rockfish species and life stages, as well as their potential for acclimatization. In both cases, I explore how and why integrating physiological responses and adaptive capacity into species persistence models can better inform conservation and management decisions.