Phenotypic flexibility in the metabolic response of the limpet Cellana tramoserica to thermally different microhabitats

Temperature determines all physiological responses by limiting cellular reaction rates. Daily temperature variation differs between microhabitats, which means that subpopulations of the same species may respond differently to temperature. The aim of this study is to determine how physiological responses to temperature of the limpet Cellana tramoserica differ between limpets from variable and from stable thermal environments. Oxygen consumption and anaerobic and aerobic metabolic capacities were measured over a range of temperatures in limpets from thermally stable and variable field sites in summer and winter, and in laboratory acclimation treatments. Limpets from both variable and stable sites, showed acclimatisation of anaerobic and aerobic potentials. Limpets from stable environments, but not from variable environments, showed increased oxygen consumption in winter. Comparison of field and laboratory data showed that temperature was the signal for acclimatisation. The physiological response of C. tramoserica to temperature depends on season and microhabitat. Care must therefore be taken when conducting interspecies comparisons of response to temperature to address the confounding effects of phenotypic plasticity. Differences in physiological response to temperature in phenotypically flexible species like C. tramoserica may simply reflect individual reactions to immediate environmental conditions.