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Temperature, but not acidification, influences the growth and lipid profile of juvenile sand whiting, Sillago ciliata (Cuvier 1829)
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Temperature, but not acidification, influences the growth and lipid profile of juvenile sand whiting, Sillago ciliata (Cuvier 1829)

Tanika C Shalders, Melissa Tan, Karina C Hall, Melinda A. Coleman, Brendan Kelaher, Curtis Champion and Kirsten Benkendorff
Journal of Fish Biology, Vol.First online, pp.1-10
12/06/2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70535
Appears in  Recent Faculty of Science and Engineering Publications
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Temperature, but not acidification, influences the growth and lipid profileView
Published (Version of record) Open CC BY-NC-ND V4.0

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Abstract

climate change lipidomics nutritional quality seafood quality
Seafood provides an essential source of macro-and micronutrients for coastal communities worldwide. Climate change is a key threat to seafood security, altering the sizes, abundances, distributions, physiology and ecological interactions of fisheries species, and increasingly, there is evidence of impacts to seafood nutritional quality. In a 12-week mesocosm experiment, we tested the influence of projected ocean warming and acidification scenarios on the growth and lipid quality of juvenile sand whiting (Sillago ciliata), a popular fisheries species in eastern Australia. The growth of S. ciliata significantly increased (by 61% body weight) under elevated temperature (+3 C) but was not affected by acidification treatment levels. Lipidomic analysis revealed no influence of temperature or acidification on total lipid content or the composition and total proportions of lipid classes and subclasses. However, elevated temperatures significantly impacted the overall composition of fatty acids, including a shift toward higher saturation and a decline in important omega-3 fatty acids. Fish exposed to elevated temperature treatments had more saturated fatty acids than those at control temperatures, along with reduced levels of the valuable omega-3 eicosapentaenoic (C20:5) and docosahexaenoic (C22:6) fatty acids. Despite impacting fatty acid composition in S. ciliata, the increased growth of the juvenile whiting, if sustained into adulthood, under elevated temperatures, may help compensate for the overall availability of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids to support consumer nutritional requirements. These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence on variable climate resilience in nearshore species to future environmental conditions and the implications for the trophic transfer of nutrients in estuarine ecosystems.

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