Differential regulation of hsp70 genes in the freshwater key species Gammarus pulex (Crustacea, Amphipoda) exposed to thermal stress: effects of latitude and ontogeny.

Temperature is one of the main abiotic factors influencing the distribution and abundance of organisms. In the Rhône River Valley, populations of the crustacean Gammarus pulex are distributed along a 5 °C thermal gradient from the North to the South of the valley. In this present work, we investigated the heat shock response of G.

Effect of climate-related change in vegetation on leaf litter consumption and energy storage by Gammarus pulex from Continental or Mediterranean populations.

As a consequence of global warming, it is important to characterise the potential changes occurring for some functional processes through the intra-specific study of key species. Changes in species distribution, particularly when key or engineer species are affected, should contribute to global changes in ecosystem functioning. In this study, we examined the potential consequences induced by global warming on ecosystem functioning in term of organic matter recycling.

Effects of diet and salinity on the survival, egg laying and metabolic fingerprints of the ground-dwelling spider Arctosa fulvolineata (Araneae, Lycosidae).

Soil salinity and the salinity of trophic resources may alter the osmoregulatory processes of arthropod, challenging the smooth regulation of body water, and, ultimately, survival. The intra and extracellular build-up of osmolytes represent a common strategy to attenuate acute hyperosmotic stress in several arthropod species. In the present study, we aimed to determine the impact of substrate and trophic resource salinities on salt tolerance in the female wolf spider, Arctosa fulvolineata, which is considered a specialist salt marsh species.

Disentangling the effects of local and regional factors on the thermal tolerance of freshwater crustaceans.

In the global warming context, we compared the thermal tolerance of several populations of the crustacean Gammarus pulex (Amphipoda: Gammaridae) along a latitudinal thermal gradient in the Rhône Valley. To disentangle the effect of regional (North vs. South) and local (site-specific) factors, the ecophysiological responses of populations were investigated at two levels of biological organisation: whole organism level considering body size [critical thermal maximum (CTmax), mean speed of locomotion (MS), time mobile (TM)] and organelle function level [mitochondrial respiratory control ratios (RCRs)].