Environmental data and annotated transcriptome for Black Perch brain differential gene expression experiments (2015 & 2017)

Acidification-induced changes in cognitive function and behavior have recently been documented in tropical marine fishes, raising concerns about related shifts in species interactions. Here, we investigate whether similar patterns of broad neurological impacts are observed in a temperate Pacific fish that experiences regular and often large shifts in environmental pH due to upwelling events and other natural phenomena. In two manipulative laboratory experiments, we tested the effect of acidification, as well as pH variability, on gene expression in the brain tissue of a common temperate kelp forest/estuarine fish, Embiotoca jacksoni. We found that patterns of global gene expression in brain tissue differed significantly across pH level treatments. Additionally, differential gene expression analysis and gene set enrichment analysis identified significant differential expression of specific genes and gene sets both in comparisons of static pH level treatments as well as in static vs. vari...