Marine habitat-forming species provide crucial ecosystem functions and services worldwide. Still, the individual and combined long-term effects of ocean acidification and warming on bryozoan populations, structures, and microbiomes remain unexplored. Here, we investigate the skeletal properties, microbiome shifts, and population trends of two bryozoan species living inside and outside a volcanic CO2 vent, a natural analog to future ocean acidification conditions. We show that bryozoans can acclimatize to acidification by adjusting skeletal properties and maintaining stable microbiomes. However, we document a decrease in microbial genera playing essential functions under acidified conditions. Moreover, we show that ocean acidification exacerbates bryozoan cover loss and mortality caused by ocean warming. The observed shifts in the microbiome and cover suggest that, despite their morphological plasticity, bryozoan species will be heavily impacted by future ocean conditions, posing a threat to many benthic ecosystems in which they play a pivotal role.
Figuerola B., Capdevila P., Cerdà-Domènech M., Garrabou J., Mirasole A., Bassols P., del Campo J. & Teixidó N., 2025. Interactive effects of ocean acidification and warming disrupt calcification and microbiome composition in bryozoans. Communications Biology 8(1): 1135. doi: 10.1038/s42003-025-08524-8. Article.
