Rui Seabra

Climate change is already altering, and will continue to reshape, the persistence and spatial structure of marine populations. Understanding metapopulation connectivity and local adaptation is therefore critical for identifying both vulnerable populations and those with adaptive resilience. We applied a seascape genomics approach to investigate connectivity patterns and adaptive responses in the honeycomb worm, Sabellaria alveolata —an intertidal ecosystem engineer that supports high biodiversity and provides essential ecological functions. A total of 286 individuals from 17 sites spanning the entire latitudinal range were genotyped to assess population structure and local adaptation. Outlier analyses (BayeScan and OutFlank) identified six adaptive and 2117 neutral SNPs. Neutral SNP analysis revealed low to moderate genetic differentiation, indicating well‐connected populations. Admixture with possible ancestral gene pools in Southern Edge and Biscay populations suggests the persistence of unique genetic diversity. While connectivity is likely driven by natural larval dispersal, human‐mediated transport resulting from support vessels, aquaculture, marine debris and expanding offshore and coastal infrastructure may also facilitate gene flow, shaping observed genetic patterns. Despite this high connectivity, we detected genetic signatures of adaptation to temperature, salinity and net primary productivity, with adaptive SNPs linked to genes involved in molecular and physiological responses to these environmental factors. Our findings suggest that S. alveolata is likely resilient to climate change and other anthropogenic pressures, making it a valuable model for investigating the genetic and physiological underpinnings of marine population resilience.

Climate change is reshaping biodiversity globally, but not uniformly. Many regions are severely impacted by losses, yet areas and habitats of varying scales exist where climate change impacts are expected to remain comparatively low. The identification and forecasting of such areas, termed climate change refugia, represents conservation capacity for improving resilience of natural and managed ecosystems. However, we still lack methods for detecting and integrating refugia into spatial management plans that incorporate physiological information, especially in marine environments. We offer a new framework to bridge the gap between large-scale environmental modelling and individual- to species-level physiology to identify current and future ocean refugia for biological conservation. We introduce the concept of the “physiological seascape”, which integrates spatial-temporal heterogeneity in climatic drivers, stability and uniqueness of those drivers at organism-relevant scales, and direct and indirect assessments of physiological sensitivity. We provide two exploratory examples and recommend that mapping the intersection of refugia and biodiversity become part of priority setting within spatial conservation instruments (e.g., as part of cumulative effects assessments), to inform climate-ready biodiversity conservation and restoration actions.

Measuring cardiac frequency provides a non‐invasive approach to quantifying sublethal stress responses of invertebrates to environmental stressors, such as heat stress. Existing cardiac monitoring methods rely on limited‐performance hardware, and data processing is still largely manual or semi‐automated. This makes current approaches cumbersome, restricting the complexity and scalability of experiments that can be done. To address these challenges, we developed a fully automated toolkit that integrates hardware, firmware and a new R package ‘ heartbeatr ’ to streamline the collection and analysis of large volumes of cardiac data. We assessed heartbeatr 's automated frequency detection against a curated database of 78,769 manually assessed heartbeats, demonstrating high reliability. We provide recommendations for conducting long‐term, high‐throughput cardiac monitoring in ecological research.

Given one or multiple paths to files produced by a PULSE multi-channel or a PULSE one-channel system () from a single experiment: [1] check pulse files for inconsistencies and read/merge all data, [2] split across time windows, [3] interpolate and smooth to optimize the dataset, [4] compute the heart rate frequency for each channel/window, and [5] facilitate quality control, summarising and plotting. Heart rate frequency is calculated using the Automatic Multi-scale Peak Detection algorithm proposed by Felix Scholkmann and team. For more details see Scholkmann et al (2012) . Check original code at . ElectricBlue is a non-profit technology transfer startup creating research-oriented solutions for the scientific community ().

Aquatic biodiversity assessments are often labor‐intensive due to the large size of the equipment and the complex logistics of sea vessel operations. Traditional drift and drop cameras are typically tethered to the surface, causing cable and line clutter on sea vessels. At the same time, landers rely on auto‐release mechanisms that use costly acoustic signals or inaccurate galvanic reactions. We introduce a reusable, novel, and low‐cost Multipurpose Auto‐Release System, a versatile and programmable solution for diverse payloads and applications in shallow and mesophotic waters. Building on existing drop‐cam and Baited Remote Underwater Video System techniques, we enhance them with natural ballasts and an electronically controlled timed‐release mechanism, which is programmed via a smartphone app using Near Field Communication. Our technique allows tetherless retrieval from small sea vessels at the sea surface. This innovation simplifies aquatic monitoring logistics by eliminating the need for surface buoys or equipment retrieval from the seabed during each deployment. Our approach also advances benthic and deep‐sea marine biodiversity assessments by enabling easy systems deployment and recapture without pingers. We validated the system through 10 seawater tests, reaching depths of 278 m, accumulating 6 h of submerged data collection, and 17 d during continuous water immersion. We provide a detailed guide for building this robust, reusable, user‐friendly tool for diverse aquatic monitoring assessments. Additionally, we share key lessons learned, paving the way toward more democratized, customizable, and widely accessible applications capable of reaching the deepest seas.

Accurate forecasts of the biological impacts of climate change require a better understanding of how small‐scale temperature variability affects individual physiology and population dynamics. However, doing so for intertidal species with large distribution ranges while accounting for the effects of local adaptation presents numerous technical challenges. Historically, studies assessing the thermal thresholds of intertidal species have primarily focused on high‐tide conditions. However, neglecting the stress experienced during low tides may lead to misinterpretations of critical thermal limits, overestimation of ecological niches and underestimation of delayed mortality effects. Here, we assessed the macroecological consequences of thermal stress on the cold‐adapted brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum across its European distribution. We collected specimens from 10 populations spanning latitudes 41° N–60° N and subjected them to simulated intertidal heat stress using a novel, custom‐built experimental set‐up that replicated realistic conditions, including tidal cycles, light conditions and temperature trajectories based on in situ data. Results indicate that thermal stress is more closely associated with the magnitude of temperature change between high and low tides rather than the absolute maximum temperatures reached. Notwithstanding, algae exposed to warmer water temperatures (20.5°C) consistently outperformed those in colder water (15°C), suggesting that cold upwelled waters at the species' southern limit may not be essential for survival. By integrating empirical physiological observations with state‐of‐the‐art climate projections, we found that some populations, though more resilient to thermal stress, could still be overwhelmed by the pace of warming, leading to uneven impacts across the European distribution of the species. Synthesis. Our findings underscore the importance of replicating realistic tidal cycles and temperature trajectories to accurately assess thermal stress in intertidal species, as temperature fluctuations between high and low tides drive the stress response. Our projections not only align with observed local extinctions but also indicate future trends, emphasising that species' responses to climate change will depend on their population‐specific sensitivity and local climate conditions. Even heat‐tolerant populations may struggle to keep pace with the rapid rate of warming, highlighting the vulnerability of intertidal ecosystems.

Climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme temperature events, often causing sublethal stress or mass mortalities in organisms. This has raised the interest in assessing species' thermal performance under current and future climates. Common‐garden experiments are widely used to assess species' heat tolerance across populations from different origins under standardised conditions. Replicating realistic conditions, especially for intertidal environments, where both marine and terrestrial stressors are involved, is technically challenging. Consequently, ecologists often develop custom‐built systems that are either too simplistic (e.g. ignoring emersion) or difficult to replicate, leading to inconsistencies between studies. To address this challenge, we developed the Intertidal Environmental Chamber: a modular, open‐source system designed to realistically simulate the complex thermal environment of intertidal habitats with independent control of tides, immersion and emersion temperatures, light intensity and water exchange. Here, we showcase the system's capabilities and evaluate its accuracy in replicating field data. We also offer recommendations for running long‐term, remote‐controlled, geographically distributed and synchronised experiments.

Accurate forecasts of the biological impacts of climate change require a better understanding of how small-scale temperature variability affects individual physiology and population dynamics. But doing so for intertidal species with large distribution ranges, while also accounting for the effect of local adaptation, presents numerous technical challenges. Here, we assessed the macroecological consequences of thermal stress on the cold-adapted brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum across its European distribution. We collected specimens from ten populations spanning latitudes 41°N to 60°N and subjected them to simulated intertidal heat stress using a novel, custom-built experimental setup that replicated realistic conditions, including tidal cycles, light conditions, and temperature trajectories based on in situ data. Our factorial design comprised eight experimental treatments, combining two high-tide water temperatures (15 °C and 20.5 °C) with four low-tide peak temperatures (28.5 °C to 40.5 °C). Physiological performance was evaluated through measurements of growth, mortality, and oxygen production. Results indicate that thermal stress is more closely associated with the magnitude of temperature change between high and low tides rather than the absolute maximum temperatures reached. Algae exposed to warmer water temperatures (20.5 °C) consistently outperformed those in colder water (15 °C), suggesting that cold upwelled waters at the species’ southern limit may not be essential for survival. Southern populations demonstrated higher resilience to thermal stress than central and northern counterparts. Integrating these physiological responses with climate projections, we employed demographic models to forecast long-term population dynamics. The models predict that future climatic conditions could exceed the thermal resilience of specific populations, leading to uneven impacts across the European distribution of the species. Notwithstanding, range contractions may occur at the warm edge of the distribution, where populations, though more resilient to thermal stress, could still be overwhelmed by the pace of warming. This study underscores the importance of realistic experimental simulations in evaluating species’ thermal tolerance and highlights the potential for climate change to differentially impact populations along large latitudinal gradients.