Will invasive species benefit from climate change? Will climate change differentially affect native and invasive species physiology?

Organismal physiology is key to understanding biological responses to climate change. I am investigating how climate change stressors (e.g. warming and low salinity) may affect both native species (Olympia oysters; Ostrea lurida) and invasive species (eastern oyster drills; Urosalpinx cinerea and Japanese oyster drills; Ocinebrellus inornatus).

Eastern oyster drills (Urosalpinx cinerea) are invasive on the west coast of the US and consume native oysters (as well as commercial oysters).

For this work, I have been constructing sub-lethal thermal performance curves as well as calculating lethal responses to warming and low salinity to determine which species may be most sensitive to environmental change. I am then comparing this data to environmental time series in order to understand the context of these physiological responses.

The Japanese oyster drill (Ocinebrellus inornatus) also consumes Olympia oysters. This is a field collected individual from Tomales Bay photographed next to it’s plate figure from Light’s Manual.