Population-dependent effects of ocean acidification

Abstract

Elevated carbon dioxide levels and the resultant ocean acidification (OA) are changing the abiotic conditions of the oceans at a greater rate than ever before and placing pressure on marine species. Understanding the response of marine fauna to this change is critical for understanding the effects of OA. Population-level variation in OA tolerance is highly relevant and important in the determination of ecosystem resilience and persistence, but has received little focus to date. In this study, whether OA has the same biological consequences in high-salinity-acclimated population versus a low-salinity-acclimated population of the same species was investigated in the marine isopod Idotea balthica. The populations were found to have physiologically different responses to OA. While survival rate was similar between the two study populations at a future CO 2 level of 1000 ppm, and both populations showed increased oxidative stress, the metabolic rate and osmoregulatory activity differed significantly between the two populations. The results of this study demonstrate that the physiological response to OA of populations from different salinities can vary. Population-level variation and the environment provenance of individuals used in OA experiments should be taken into account for the evaluation and prediction of climate change effects.

Feeding plasticity more than metabolic rate drives the productivity of economically important filter feeders in response to elevated CO2 and reduced salinity

“…Tolerances to elevated pCO22 vary among marine invertebrate species, as do tolerances to changes in salinity (e.g. Sokolova et al 2016;Wood et al 2016). Little, however, is known about their combined effects and our current understanding in filter feeders is limited to just a few studies where it has been shown that these factors influence the survival, energy metabolism and osmoregulatory capacity as well as weaken shells.…”

Ecological and functional consequences of coastal ocean acidification: Perspectives from the Baltic-Skagerrak System

“…The likely combined biological effects of this freshening with OA in the Baltic-Skagerrak System have received relatively little attention to date. Available data indicate increased sensitivity to OA in low-salinity populations (crustaceans, Gulf of Bothnia, Wood et al 2016 ), potential for freshening to counteract the positive effects of OA on reproductive success ( Fucus , Baltic, Serraõ et al Serrao et al 1999 ; Graiff et al 2017 ), and no substantive impacts of OA + freshening on microplankton community structure (Baltic Proper, Wulff et al 2018 ; Table 1 ). This important research area requires further experimental investigation before patterns in responses to this interaction can be identified.…”

Will life find a way? Evolution of marine species under global change

“…Finally, extant levels of adaptation to local conditions may mediate populations' sensitivity to future global change drivers (e.g. Lardies et al 2014;Wood et al 2016). For these reasons, the investigation of populations' and species' ability to mount plastic and adaptive responses to prevalent environmental changes is an absolute priority (e.g.…”

“…; Wood et al. ). For these reasons, the investigation of populations’ and species’ ability to mount plastic and adaptive responses to prevalent environmental changes is an absolute priority (e.g.…”