A review of the effects of contamination and temperature in Solea solea larvae. Modeling perspectives in the context of climate change

The flatfish species Solea solea has been the subject of research for supporting their management in fisheries, restocking natural populations, domestication in aquaculture, and ecotoxicology research. Soles undergo a metamorphosis with drastic morphological and physiological changes and settlement, processes that make them potentially more vulnerable to pollutants than other fish. Up to date, efforts made to develop its aquaculture production in Europe have been limited. In the context of climate change (CC), this review aims i) to gather research conducted in S. solea larvae that summarizes the effects of increased temperature and contaminant exposures during larval development; and ii) to provide a summarized and synergistic view about its larval development. The review consists of 4 sections. Section 1 justifies the selection of this species from ecological and economic perspectives. Section 2 focuses on larvae ontogenesis, metamorphosis, rearing challenges, and further aquaculture production. Section 3 reviews studies dealing with the effects of temperature change (due to CC) and pollutants on larval development. Finally, section 4 provides a “how to go forward on ecotoxicological research” guideline, in which we highlight the methods that we found promising as tools to study the combined effects of CC and pollution. The section includes a multidisciplinary framework that proposes how existing data coming from different scientific domains can be synthesized to be useful for risk assessors and ecotoxicologists. To benefit from such a framework, it is necessary to reach consensus and nurture team effort from players that operate in different research disciplines.