Understanding Decapod Crustacean Responses to Sea Temperature Change

Rapid global temperature increase has been mitigated by the ocean absorbing more than 93% of excess heat from anthropogenic emissions. However, global sea surface temperature has risen approximately 0.13°C per decade over the course of the 20th century. Rising ocean temperatures threaten marine ecosystem services, including fisheries production. Decapod crustaceans are frequently targeted fisheries species, with environmental factors impacting multiple components within their life histories: growth rates, reproduction, and behaviour. Resultantly, influencing size at maturity, geographical range, and catchability. The literature review that follows synthesises recent research findings, mostly published in the 21st century, concerning decapod crustacean responses to sea temperature change. This review finds that variation in temperature can have a substantial influence upon the physiology and behaviour of crustacea. Increased temperature has generally been observed decreasing duration of the intermoult phase, shortening larval development, and halting reflexes. Accelerated larval growth aids fishery recruitment therefore catchability tends to increase with ambient temperature, however long-term predictions suggest that if warming oceans continue on their current trajectory species will undergo decline along with their recruitment. Literature has inferred how species will respond to increased warming with climate induced range shifts. The magnitude of these shifts will be influenced by physiology and behavioural thermal regulation. It is important to understand the impact that temperature has on crustaceans, especially commercially valuable species, so that potential impacts can be modelled and the future of crustacea within the global food supply chain can be planned for.