Understanding how ectotherms may fare with rising global temperatures and more frequent heatwaves is especially concerning for species already considered at-risk, such as long-lived, late-maturing sturgeon. There have been concerted efforts to collect data on the movement behavior and thermal physiology of North American sturgeon to enhance conservation efforts; thus, we sought to synthesize these data to understand how sturgeon respond to thermal stress and what capacity they have to acclimate and adapt to warming. Here, we combined a systematic literature review and meta-analysis, integrating field-based observations (distribution and spawning) and laboratory-based experiments (survival, activity, growth, metabolism, and upper thermal limits) for large-scale insights to understand the vulnerability of North American sturgeon to rising global temperatures. We summarized the preferred thermal habitat and thermal limits of sturgeon in their natural environment and using meta-analytical techniques, quantified the effect of prolonged temperature change on sturgeon whole-animal physiology and acute upper thermal limits. While acclimation did not have significant effects on physiological rates or survival overall, there were positive trends of activity and metabolism in young-of-the-year sturgeons, likely offset by negative trends of survival in early life. Notably, North American sturgeon have a greater capacity for thermal tolerance plasticity than other fishes, increasing upper thermal limits by 0.56°C per 1°C change in acclimation temperature. But with limited laboratory-based studies, more research is needed to understand if this is a sturgeon trait, or perhaps that of basal fishes in general. Importantly, with these data gaps, the fate of sturgeon remains uncertain as climate change intensifies, and physiological impacts across life stages likely limit ecological success.

中文翻译：

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太热而无法处理：北美鲟鱼耐热性和适应能力的元分析综述


了解变温动物在全球气温上升和更频繁的热浪下可能如何变化，对于已经被认为处于危险中的物种尤其令人担忧，例如长寿、晚熟的鲟鱼。人们齐心协力收集有关北美鲟鱼的运动行为和热生理学的数据，以加强保护工作;因此，我们试图综合这些数据，以了解鲟鱼如何响应热应激以及它们具有适应和适应变暖的能力。在这里，我们结合了系统的文献综述和荟萃分析，整合了基于实地的观察（分布和产卵）和基于实验室的实验（存活、活动、生长、代谢和热上限），以获得大规模的见解，以了解北美鲟鱼对全球气温上升的脆弱性。我们总结了鲟鱼在自然环境中的首选热栖息地和热极限，并使用荟萃分析技术量化了长时间温度变化对鲟鱼全动物生理和急性热上限的影响。虽然驯化对整体生理速率或存活率没有显著影响，但幼鳟的活动和新陈代谢呈积极趋势，可能被早期生存的消极趋势所抵消。值得注意的是，北美鲟鱼比其他鱼类具有更强的耐热塑性能力，驯化温度每变化 1°C，热上限就会增加 0.56°C。但是，由于基于实验室的研究有限，需要更多的研究来了解这是鲟鱼的特征，还是一般基础鱼类的特征。 重要的是，由于这些数据差距，随着气候变化的加剧，鲟鱼的命运仍然不确定，而整个生命阶段的生理影响可能会限制生态成功。