The impact of CO2 emissions on 'nuisance' marine species

Abstract

Anthropogenic CO 2 emissions are being taken up from the atmosphere by the oceans, increasing the availability of dissolved inorganic carbon but reducing both the carbonate saturation and pH of seawater. This ocean acidification affects biological processes in a wide range of marine taxa. Here, we assess the likely responses of 'nuisance' species to ocean acidification, meaning those organisms that have undesirable effects from a human perspective. Based on a synthesis of evidence available to date, we predict increased growth and toxicity in harmful algal bloom species, and a significant increase in invasive algae in response to increased CO 2 availability. Blooms of stinging jellyfish are also expected to increase since they are highly resilient to acidification. The effects of ocean acidification on invasive molluscs (eg, oyster drills), damaging echinoderms (eg, crown-of-thorns starfish), and a wide range of nuisance taxa will vary depending on species and location. In the USA, for example, the invasive crab Carcinus maenas is resilient to projected increases in CO 2 and its impact on marine communities is expected to increase since it feeds on organisms that respond to ocean acidification with weaker defensive traits and lower recruitment. Conversely, the Red King Crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus, is adversely affected by acidification and so is expected to die back in the Barents Sea which it has invaded. Overall, we suspect that there will be an increase in nuisance species, as many have traits that are resilient to the combined warming and acidification caused by rising CO 2 levels; region-specific assessments are needed to understand responses of nuisance species in local habitats. Finally, we highlight the need for targeted studies of the effects of global change on particularly harmful marine taxa such as the seaweed Caulerpa taxifolia, the starfish Asterias amurensis, several invasive ascidians, and the lionfish Pterois volitans.

Ocean acidification impacts on coastal ecosystem services due to habitat degradation

“…are highly invasive and have been dubbed 'killer algae' since they compete strongly for space and contain toxic compounds that grazers in the invaded habitats avoid. Invasive species that are able to tolerate wide changes in physicochemical conditions in ballast water or attached to ships have inbuilt resilience to ocean acidification [23].…”

“…Coastal ecosystem services depend on which basic biotic functions are maintained [49], which ecosystem engineers and keystone species are retained [34], and whether the spread of nuisance species is avoided [23]. Figure 3 illustrates the fact that the capacity of marine ecosystems to provide functions and services is Ecosystem state degrades because habitat complexity and biodiversity decline along gradients of increasing pCO 2 .…”

Invasive species in the Northeastern and Southwestern Atlantic Ocean: A review

“…The problem with ballast water is that a myriad of organisms are transported across natural about 3,000 7,000 species (Carlton & Geller, 1993;Gollasch et al, 2002;Carlton, 2001;Endrensen et al, 2004) and this wholesale movement of marine life contributes to the spread of disease; it disrupts coastal ecosystems and is causing the homogenization of coastal habitats (Ruiz et al, 2000;Drake & Lodge, 2004;Rahel, 2007, Katsanevakis et al, 2014. The transfer of invasive species in ballast water is an international problem that is currently out of control; increasing shipping trade along with increasing ship size and speed, the opening up of new trade routes such as across the Arctic, man-made coastal habitat modification, the development of offshore windfarms and the global effects of sea-surface warming and acidification are all contributing to marine biological invasions (Williams et al, 2013;Allen & Hall-Spencer, 2015).…”

Non‐native marine species in north‐west Europe: Developing an approach to assess future spread using regional downscaled climate projections

“…Ocean acidification is predicted to have diverse effects on organisms. It is possible that algae and jellyfish, which do not have calcareous skeletons, may benefit while molluscs and some crustaceans may be at a disadvantage (Hall Spencer & Allen, ). Therefore, with increased ocean acidification later in the century, the predicted habitat suitability for the Pacific oyster may be an overestimate, while that for the comb jelly M. leidyi , and seaweeds C. fragile , wireweed and wakame it may be overly conservative.…”