Ocean acidification (OA) causes an increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) and a reduction in the pH of ocean waters. This chapter reviews the current literature to investigate the adverse effects of OA on fish health and marine ecosystem dynamics. OA poses serious threats to marine biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics. Fish experience severe physiological problems such as impaired growth, development, tissue damage, Impaired behavioral changes, sensory and brain functions, and disruption in predator-prey interactions due to acidification with a 74% decline in survival rates of egg and larval stages. Besides affecting fish, OA also affects marine ecosystem dynamics: reducing calcification rates in calcifying species, increasing seagrass production, causing effects on habitat-forming species, and disrupting the food web. Vulnerable species, such as coral reef fish, show high sensitivity, risking the stability of their habitats. The United Nations recognized the OA as a threat to marine biodiversity through the Convention on Biodiversity. The future research needs to focus on understanding fish and marine animals’ adaptive mechanisms to OA, its interaction with other stressors, and global collaboration to address the underlying causes of OA.
Riaz M., Abdullah S., Khalil Z., Jamil M., Fatima W., Rasheed A., Fatima M. & Gulshan S, 2025. Impact of ocean acidification on fish health and marine ecosystem dynamics. In: Ismael S. S., Nisa Q. U., Nisa Z. U. & Aziz S. (Eds.), Holistic Health: Diseases Across Life: From Humans to Land and Sea, pp. 156-162. Unique Scientific Publishers, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Chapter.
