The success of individuals during the pelagic larval phase is critical to maintaining healthy and viable populations of coral reef fishes; however, it is also the most environmentally sensitive and energetically demanding life stage. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves, which could have significant effects on the development and survival of larval coral reef fishes. However, little is k...

Body size influences many life‐history traits, with small‐bodied animals tending to have short life spans, high mortality and greater reproductive effort early in life. In this study, the authors investigated the life‐history traits and reproductive strategies of three small‐bodied coral reef gobies of the genus Trimma : Trimma benjamini , Trimma capostriatum and Trimma yanoi . The authors found all Trimma species studied atta...

Ocean acidification (OA) is postulated to affect the physiology, behavior, and life‐history of marine species, but potential for acclimation or adaptation to elevated p CO 2 in wild populations remains largely untested. We measured brain transcriptomes of six coral reef fish species at a natural volcanic CO 2 seep and an adjacent control reef in Papua New Guinea. We show that elevated p CO 2 induced common molecular responses...

The impacts of climate change are expected to have profound effects on the fisheries of the Pacific Ocean, including its tuna fisheries, the largest globally. This study examined the combined effects of climate change on the yellowfin tuna population using the ecosystem model SEAPODYM. Yellowfin tuna fisheries in the Pacific contribute significantly to the economies and food security of Pacific Island Countries and Territories...

Ocean warming is a threat to marine biodiversity, as it can push marine species beyond their physiological limits. Detrimental effects can occur when marine poikilotherms are exposed to conditions beyond their thermal optima. However, acclamatory mechanisms, such as plasticity, may enable compensation of detrimental effects if warming is experienced during development or across generations. Studies evaluating the molecular res...

Environmental partial pressure of CO 2 ( p CO 2 ) variation can modify the responses of marine organisms to ocean acidification, yet the underlying mechanisms for this effect remain unclear. On coral reefs, environmental p CO 2 fluctuates on a regular day–night cycle. Effects of future ocean acidification on coral reef fishes might therefore depend on their response to this diel cycle of p CO 2 . To evaluate the effects on the...

Global warming will have far‐reaching consequences for marine species over coming decades, yet the magnitude of these effects may depend on the rate of warming across generations. Recent experiments show coral reef fishes can compensate the metabolic challenges of elevated temperature when warm conditions are maintained across generations. However, the effects of a gradual temperature increase across generations remain unknown...

Ocean warming and acidification are serious threats to marine life; however, their individual and combined effects on large pelagic and predatory fishes are poorly understood. We determined the effects of projected future temperature and carbon dioxide ( CO 2 ) levels on survival, growth, morphological development and swimming performance on the early life stages of a large circumglobal pelagic fish, the yellowtail kingfish Se...

There is increasing evidence that projected near‐future carbon dioxide ( CO 2 ) levels can alter predator avoidance behaviour in marine invertebrates, yet little is known about the possible effects on predatory behaviours. Here we tested the effects of elevated CO 2 on the predatory behaviours of two ecologically distinct cephalopod species, the pygmy squid, Idiosepius pygmaeus , and the bigfin reef squid, Sepioteuthis lessoni...

Phenotypic plasticity, both within and across generations, is an important mechanism that organisms use to cope with rapid climate change. While an increasing number of studies show that plasticity across generations (transgenerational plasticity or TGP ) may occur, we have limited understanding of key aspects of TGP , such as the environmental conditions that may promote it, its relationship to within‐generation plasticity (...

Predicting the impacts of climate change requires knowledge of the potential to adapt to rising temperatures, which is unknown for most species. Adaptive potential may be especially important in tropical species that have narrow thermal ranges and live close to their thermal optimum. We used the animal model to estimate heritability, genotype by environment interactions and nongenetic maternal components of phenotypic variatio...

Predicting the impacts of ocean warming and acidification on marine ecosystems requires an evolutionary perspective because, for most marine species, these environmental changes will occur over a number of generations. Acclimation through phenotypic plasticity and adaptation through genetic selection could help populations of some species cope with future warmer and more acidic oceans. Coral reef species are predicted to be so...

Shelled pteropods play key roles in the global carbon cycle and food webs of various ecosystems. Their thin external shell is sensitive to small changes in pH, and shell dissolution has already been observed in areas where aragonite saturation state is ~1. A decline in pteropod abundance has the potential to disrupt trophic networks and directly impact commercial fisheries. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how pteropods...