Data from: Blue mussel (Genus Mytilus) transcriptome response to simulated climate change in the Gulf of Maine

The biogeochemistry of the Gulf of Maine is rapidly changing in response
to a changing climate, including rising temperatures, acidification, and
declining primary productivity. These impacts are projected to worsen over
the next hundred years and will apply selective pressure on populations of
marine calcifiers. This study investigates the transcriptome expression
response to these changes in ecologically and economically important
marine calcifiers, blue mussels. Wild mussels (Mytilus edulis and M.
trossulus) were sampled from sites spanning the Gulf of Maine and exposed
to two different biogeochemical water conditions: i. present-day
conditions in the Gulf of Maine and ii. simulated future conditions that
included elevated temperature, increased acidity, and decreased food
supply. Patterns of gene expression were measured using RNA-seq from 24
mussel samples and contrasted between ambient and future conditions. The
net calcification rate, a trait predicted to be under climate-induced
stress, was measured for each individual over a 2-week exposure period and
used as a covariate along with gene expression patterns. Generalized
linear models, with and without the calcification rate, were used to
identify differentially expressed transcripts between ambient and future
conditions. The comparison revealed transcripts that likely comprise a
core stress response characterized by the induction of molecular
chaperones, genes involved in aerobic metabolism, and indicators of
cellular stress. Furthermore, the model contrasts revealed transcripts
that may be associated with individual variation in calcification rate and
suggest possible biological processes that may have downstream effects on
calcification phenotypes, such as zinc-ion binding and protein
degradation. Overall, these findings contribute to the understanding of
blue mussel adaptive responses to imminent climate change and suggest
metabolic pathways are resilient in variable environments.