Thermal Stress and Predation Risk Trigger Distinct Transcriptomic Responses in the Intertidal Snail Nucella lapillus

Authors

Nathaniel D. Chu, Northeastern University
Luke P. Miller, Northeastern UniversityFollow
Stefan T. Kaluziak, Northeastern University
Geoffrey C. Trussell, Northeastern University
Steven V. Vollmer, Northeastern University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

December 2014

Publication Title

Molecular Ecology

First Page

6104

Last Page

6113

Keywords

Nonconsumptive Effects, Nucella lapillus, Predation Risk, RNA-seq, Thermal Stress, Transcriptomics

Disciplines

Biology

Abstract

Thermal stress and predation risk have profound effects on rocky shore organisms, triggering changes in their feeding behaviour, morphology and metabolism. Studies of thermal stress have shown that underpinning such changes in several intertidal species are specific shifts in gene and protein expression (e.g. upregulation of heat-shock proteins). But relatively few studies have examined genetic responses to predation risk. Here, we use next-generation RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to examine the transcriptomic (mRNA) response of the snail Nucella lapillus to thermal stress and predation risk. We found that like other intertidal species, N. lapillus displays a pronounced genetic response to thermal stress by upregulating many heat-shock proteins and other molecular chaperones. In contrast, the presence of a crab predator (Carcinus maenas) triggered few significant changes in gene expression in our experiment, and this response showed no significant overlap with the snail's response to thermal stress. These different gene expression profiles suggest that thermal stress and predation risk could pose distinct and potentially additive challenges for N. lapillus and that genetic responses to biotic stresses such as predation risk might be more complex and less uniform across species than genetic responses to abiotic stresses such as thermal stress.

Comments

This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Chu, N. D., L. P. Miller, S. T. Kaluziak, G. C. Trussell, & S. V. Vollmer (2014). Thermal stress and predation risk trigger distinct transcriptomic responses in the intertidal snail Nucella lapillus. Molecular Ecology vol.23, 24: 6104–6113, 2014, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.12994. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving

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Recommended Citation

Nathaniel D. Chu, Luke P. Miller, Stefan T. Kaluziak, Geoffrey C. Trussell, and Steven V. Vollmer. "Thermal Stress and Predation Risk Trigger Distinct Transcriptomic Responses in the Intertidal Snail Nucella lapillus" Molecular Ecology (2014): 6104-6113.