Joint additive effects of temperature and UVB radiation on zoeae of the crab Taliepus dentatus

Warming and enhanced ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation are 2 global stressors acting across the ocean. We tested their effects on the survival and performance (consumption rates and activity) on the zoea I stage of the Chilean kelp crab Taliepus dentatus. Our goal was to resolve whether these stressors, when acting concurrently, had additive or interactive effects, either synergistic or antagonistic. A multifactorial experiment of 4 temperatures and 3 UVB irradiance levels was run. The larvae showed a significant increase in mortality with increasing temperature. Exposure to UVB reduced the thermal tolerance of the larvae by a significant increase of their mortality rate. Oxygen consumption increased as temperature increased. When exposed to UVB radiation, larval oxygen consumption increased significantly for all the temperatures tested. Two statistical models of joint effects confirmed that the combined effect of both stressors was additive, with no interaction, either synergistic or antagonistic. One of them, the independent action (IA) model, also revealed that concurrent effects on mortality remained additive when doubling the UVB dose. Additivity of the stressors improved the predictability of their effects on larval mortality. Exposure to UVB radiation increased mortality rates by 1.5 times at any temperature tested, independently of the dose.