In the coming decades, global warming will affect the biogeochemical cycles evolution, particularly the carbon cycle. In this context, it is necessary to gain knowledge on the Earth natural mechanisms to relieve the atmosphere of the greenhouse gases excess. The “biological pump” is one of the main mechanisms employed by the oceans to “sequester” the CO2 accumulated in the atmosphere. Thereby, the organic carbon produced by the biological activity is transferred from surface to deep waters where part of this pool is accumulated in the seafloor. Another mechanism involving the accumulation of carbon in the ocean, called the “microbial carbon pump” (MCP), has been described recently. It is composed by an intricate set of microbial processes that enable the formation of highly recalcitrant dissolved material and therefore facilitate the accumulation of carbon in the deep waters. The oceans store about 660 Pg C in the form of dissolved organic matter (DOM), a quantity comparable to the atmospheric CO2. Understanding the processes that control the dynamics, recycling and exportation of the DOM is crucial to evaluate the oceans capability to gather the excess of atmospheric CO2. On its course down throughout the water column, microorganisms degraded the DOM produced at the surface layers. Concentrations decrease from ~90 µmol C L-1 down to 40-50 µmol C L-1, values homogeneously distributed in the deep oceans throughout the planet. The fact that below 1000 m and deeper the DOM is degraded at lower speed is still unknown, and the processes that can affect this DOM degradation have been studied in this thesis. In this regard, we performed experiments with deep Atlantic Ocean microbial communities. These communities were exposed to DOM of different quality. The results revealed that the presence of humic-like allocthonous compounds favored the generation of new humic-like compounds in situ. Consequently, we proved that the composition of the DOM that reach the deep ocean conditions its ease-to-degrade nature. In this thesis we also evaluated the effect of global change (acidification and eutrophication) on the quality of the DOM. With this purpose in mind, we developed mesocosms experiments in tanks of 200 L in which we enclosed coastal planktonic communities from the NW Mediterranean Sea. The planktonic populations were exposed to different treatments of pH and eutrophication (addition of inorganic nutrients). The results of these experiments demonstrated that low pH levels favored the increase of the planktonic organisms’ growth rates, while the input of nutrients promoted the transformation to complex DOM. Finally, a monthly monitoring sampling of several biogeochemical variables was carried out at the Estartit Oceanographic Station (EOS). One of the principal aims consisted in identify the DOM sources and its inter-annual variability. The results revealed the importance of the winds in transporting oceanic DOM inputs to the system, which contrasted with previous results observed in nearby sampling stations (e.g. Blanes Bay, Bay of Banyuls-sur-mer), where the major DOM contributions were terrestrial inputs.
Posts Tagged 'BRcommunity'
Tracing the dynamics of dissolved organic matter in marine systems exposed to natural and experimental perturbations
Published 26 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: abundance, biogeochemistry, BRcommunity, chemistry, field, growth, laboratory, Mediterranean, mesocosms, multiple factors, nutrients, otherprocess, phytoplankton, prokaryotes
The adaptive potential of early life-stage Fucus vesiculosus under multifactorial environmental change
Published 26 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: adaptation, algae, Baltic, biological response, BRcommunity, field, growth, laboratory, mesocosms, morphology, mortality, multiple factors, nutrients, otherprocess, oxygen, performance, review, temperature
Multiple global and local stressors threaten populations of the bladderwrack Fucus vesiculosus (Phaeophyceae). Baltic F. vesiculosus populations presumably have a lower genetic diversity compared to other populations. I investigated the adaptive potential under multifactorial environmental change in F. vesiculosus germlings. Effects of warming and acidification were crossed during one year at the two levels “present” and “future” (according to the year 2110) at the “Kiel Outdoor Benthocosms” by applying delta-treatments. Effects of warming varied with season while acidification showed generally weak effects. The two factors “ocean acidification and warming” (OAW) and nutrients were crossed showing that nutrient enrichment mitigated heat stress. Germlings previously treated under the OAW x nutrient experiment were subsequently exposed to a simulated hypoxic upwelling. Sensitivity to hypoxia was enhanced by the previous OAW conditions. Difference in the performance of genetically different sibling groups and diversity level were observed indicating an increased adaptive potential at higher genetic diversity. Different sibling groups were analysed under multiple factors to test correlations of genotypic sensitivities. Sensitivity towards warming, acidification and nutrient enrichment correlated positively while sensitivities towards OAW and hypoxia showed a negative correlation demonstrating that genotypes previously selected under OAW are sensitive to hypoxic upwelling. In a literature review, responses of marine organisms to climate change were analysed through different levels of biological organisation showing that climate change has different effects on each single level of biological organisation. This study highlights that global change research requires an upscaling approach with regard to multiple factors, seasons, natural fluctuations, different developmental stages and levels of biological organisation in the light of the adaptive potential.
Exploring the “Sharkcano”: biogeochemical observations of the Kavachi submarine volcano (Solomon Islands)
Published 26 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: biological response, BRcommunity, chemistry, community composition, field, molecular biology, otherprocess, prokaryotes, sediment, South Pacific, vents
An expedition to the Kavachi submarine volcano (Solomon Islands) in January 2015 was serendipitously timed with a rare lull in volcanic activity that permitted access to the inside of Kavachi’s active crater and its flanks. The isolated location of Kavachi and its explosive behavior normally restrict scientific access to the volcano’s summit, limiting previous observational efforts to surface imagery and peripheral water-column data. This article presents medium-resolution bathymetry of the main peak along with benthic imagery, biological observations of multiple trophic levels living inside the active crater, petrological and geochemical analysis of samples from the crater rim, measurements of water temperature and gas flux over the summit, and descriptions of the hydrothermal plume structure. A second peak was identified to the southwest of the main summit and displayed evidence of diffuse-flow venting. Microbial samples collected from the summit indicate chemosynthetic populations dominated by sulfur-reducing ε-proteobacteria. Populations of gelatinous animals, small fish, and sharks were observed inside the active crater, raising new questions about the ecology of active submarine volcanoes and the extreme environments in which large marine animals can exist.
Acidification enhances hybrid N2O production associated with aquatic ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms
Published 23 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: abundance, archaea, biological response, BRcommunity, chemistry, community composition, molecular biology, otherprocess, prokaryotes, South Atlantic
Ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms are an important source of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) in aquatic environments. Identifying the impact of pH on N2O production by ammonia oxidizers is key to understanding how aquatic greenhouse gas fluxes will respond to naturally occurring pH changes, as well as acidification driven by anthropogenic CO2. We assessed N2O production rates and formation mechanisms by communities of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) in a lake and a marine environment, using incubation-based nitrogen (N) stable isotope tracer methods with 15N-labeled ammonium (15NH+4) and nitrite (15NO−2), and also measurements of the natural abundance N and O isotopic composition of dissolved N2O. N2O production during incubations of water from the shallow hypolimnion of Lake Lugano (Switzerland) was significantly higher when the pH was reduced from 7.54 (untreated pH) to 7.20 (reduced pH), while ammonia oxidation rates were similar between treatments. In all incubations, added NH+4 was the source of most of the N incorporated into N2O, suggesting that the main N2O production pathway involved hydroxylamine (NH2OH) and/or NO−2 produced by ammonia oxidation during the incubation period. A small but significant amount of N derived from exogenous/added 15NO−2 was also incorporated into N2O, but only during the reduced-pH incubations. Mass spectra of this N2O revealed that NH+4 and 15NO−2 each contributed N equally to N2O by a “hybrid-N2O” mechanism consistent with a reaction between NH2OH and NO−2, or compounds derived from these two molecules. Nitrifier denitrification was not an important source of N2O. Isotopomeric N2O analyses in Lake Lugano were consistent with incubation results, as 15N enrichment of the internal N vs. external N atoms produced site preferences (25.0–34.4‰) consistent with NH2OH-dependent hybrid-N2O production. Hybrid-N2O formation was also observed during incubations of seawater from coastal Namibia with 15NH+4 and NO−2. However, the site preference of dissolved N2O here was low (4.9‰), indicating that another mechanism, not captured during the incubations, was important. Multiplex sequencing of 16S rRNA revealed distinct ammonia oxidizer communities: AOB dominated numerically in Lake Lugano, and AOA dominated in the seawater. Potential for hybrid N2O formation exists among both communities, and at least in AOB-dominated environments, acidification may accelerate this mechanism.
The effects of ocean acidification on zooplankton: Using natural CO2 seeps as windows into the future
Published 20 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: abundance, biological response, BRcommunity, community composition, communityMF, corals, crustaceans, field, morphology, multiple factors, otherprocess, performance, South Pacific, vents, zooplankton
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide (CO2) has been emitted into the atmosphere at rates unprecedented to Earth’s history. Nearly 30% of the anthropogenic CO2 in the atmosphere has been absorbed in surface waters of the ocean, pushing carbonate chemistry towards increased bicarbonate ions and hydrogen protons and decreased carbonate ions. Consequently, seawater pH has decreased from pre-Industrial Revolution levels of 8.2 to current levels of 8.1, and it is expected to continue to drop to 7.8 by the year 2100 if carbon emissions continue as predicted. The combination of these effects is referred to as ocean acidification. It is at the forefront of marine research as it poses a serious threat to several marine organisms and ecosystems. Ocean acidification has the most notable direct effect on calcifying organisms with calcium carbonate skeletons and shells, because fewer carbonate ions in the water column result in reduced calcification. Coral reefs are especially vulnerable to ocean acidification since reefs are composed of complex carbonate structures. Coral reefs have a high biodiversity; thus, not only will the corals themselves be affected by ocean acidification, but so will many of the animals that dwell in them.
The primary objective of this thesis was to examine the effects of ocean acidification on demersal zooplankton that reside in coral reefs. Ocean acidification research on zooplankton has primarily been single- species experiments on calcifying species or generalist copepod species. Scaling-up to experiments examining ocean acidification effects on entire zooplankton communities is logistically difficult, thus the ability to predict community changes in zooplankton due to ocean acidification has been rather limited. However, a few locations around the world have submarine volcanic CO2 seeps that can be used as natural laboratories to study ecosystem effects of ocean acidification. Two CO2 seeps located in coral reefs in Papua New Guinea were used as windows into the future to examine the effects of ocean acidification on entire zooplankton communities while they live naturally in their environment. Over three expeditions to two CO2 seeps, nocturnal plankton were sampled with horizontal net tows and emergence traps. Additional experiments were also conducted, and collectively this work is summarized in chapters 2-5 as outlined below.
Chapter 2 reports on the observed changes in zooplankton abundance and community composition between control and high-CO2 sites. Consistent results between seep sites and expeditions showed that zooplankton abundances were reduced three-fold under high-CO2 conditions. The abundance loss was partially attributed to habitat change within the coral reef, from more structurally complex corals in the control sites to a replacement of massive bouldering corals in the high-CO2 sites. The loss of structural complexity in the reef meant there were fewer hiding spaces for the zooplankton to seek refuge in during the day. All zooplankton taxa were reduced under high-CO2 conditions but to varying levels, suggesting that each taxon reacts differently to ocean acidification. Since each taxonomic group within the zooplankton communities was reduced to varying levels under ocean acidification, the copepod genus with the largest reduction in abundance was investigated in more detail. Labidocera spp. are pontellid copepods that are generally considered surface-dwellers and are not known to inhabit coral reefs. Therefore, as a preface to the ocean acidification study, the new discovery of these copepods living in coral reefs is first described (Chapter 3). Not only were they found to be residential to the reef, but Labidocera spp. living at the control reefs preferred to reside in coral rubble, macroalgae, and turf algae. Labidocera spp. were one of the most sensitive copepods to high-CO2 conditions and were reduced by nearly 70% in abundance, prompting a more detailed investigation about the effect of ocean acidification on their physiology and habitat preference (Chapter 4). Physiological parameters, e.g. size, feeding, and oocyte development, were unaffected by ocean acidification. Unlike the zooplankton community as a whole, the main cause for the abundance loss of Labidocera spp. was not a shift in the habitat because their preferred substrata were of equal percent coverage across high-CO2 and control sites. Instead, Labidocera spp. were no longer associated with any substrata type. Multiple direct and indirect effects of ocean acidification will act on each zooplankton taxa separately, and their collective response will contribute to the community response. The effects of ocean acidification on zooplankton communities were then scaled up to potential impacts on entire ecosystems. Zooplankton are the primary food source for corals, fish, and other zooplanktivores. The impacts of ocean acidification on zooplankton communities will have cascade effects on the food chain via the pathway of zooplanktivorous organisms. A case study on the stony coral Galaxea fascicularis explored the effects of ocean acidification on the ability of corals, which had lived their entire lives under high-CO2 conditions, to feed on zooplankton (Chapter 5). Under anthropogenic changes, whether it is from bleaching, high turbidity, or ocean acidification, some corals rely more on heterotrophy and consume more zooplankton. Contrary to expectation, this study showed that when given equal quantities of food particles these corals consumed less zooplankton under ocean acidification. Corals rely on heterotrophy for essential nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, which they cannot otherwise obtain from autotrophy and their symbiotic zooxanthellae.
In conclusion, my thesis shows that not only is there fewer zooplankton available to consume, but the existing zooplankton is consumed with lower capture rates under high CO2 conditions. Coral reefs in future oceans will likely have reduced zooplankton abundances as an indirect effect of ocean acidification, partially caused by a change in habitat from branching corals to more massive bouldering corals. Zooplankton abundances were reduced yet the community composition was unaffected by ocean acidification. All zooplankton taxa were reduced yet present under high-CO2 conditions suggesting that the zooplankton are at least able to survive under ocean acidification. Fewer zooplankton will be available to zooplanktivores, but the fatty acid content and nutritional value of the zooplankton as a food source is expected to be similar to current food. Together this is expected to negatively impact the entire coral reef ecosystem, with some coral species unable to consume zooplankton at normal rates. In an ecosystem already highly vulnerable to ocean acidification, coral reefs may be even more threatened if the very basis of their food webs is reduced.
Community production modulates coral reef pH and the sensitivity of ecosystem calcification to ocean acidification
Published 19 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: biological response, BRcommunity, calcification, chemistry, corals, field, North Pacific, primary production
Coral reefs are built of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) produced biogenically by a diversity of calcifying plants, animals and microbes. As the ocean warms and acidifies, there is mounting concern that declining calcification rates could shift coral reef CaCO3 budgets from net accretion to net dissolution. We quantified net ecosystem calcification (NEC) and production (NEP) on Dongsha Atoll, northern South China Sea, over a two-week period that included a transient bleaching event. Peak daytime pH on the wide, shallow reef flat during the non-bleaching period was ∼8.5, significantly elevated above that of the surrounding open ocean (∼8.0-8.1) as a consequence of daytime NEP (up to 112 mmol C m−2 hr−1). Diurnal-averaged NEC was 390 ± 90 mmol CaCO3 m−2 day−1, higher than any other coral reef studied to date despite comparable calcifier cover (25%) and relatively high fleshy algal cover (19%). Coral bleaching linked to elevated temperatures significantly reduced daytime NEP by 29 mmol C m−2 hr−1. pH on the reef flat declined by 0.2 units, causing a 40% reduction in NEC in the absence of pH changes in the surrounding open ocean. Our findings highlight the interactive relationship between carbonate chemistry of coral reef ecosystems and ecosystem production and calcification rates, which are in turn impacted by ocean warming. As open-ocean waters bathing coral reefs warm and acidify over the 21st century, the health and composition of reef benthic communities will play a major role in determining on-reef conditions that will in turn dictate the ecosystem response to climate change. Continue reading ‘Community production modulates coral reef pH and the sensitivity of ecosystem calcification to ocean acidification’
Impact of predicted climate change scenarios on a coral reef meiofauna community
Published 16 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: abundance, annelids, biological response, BRcommunity, corals, crustaceans, laboratory, nematodes, otherprocess, South Atlantic, zooplankton
Changes in marine communities in response to elevated CO2 have been reported but information on how representatives of the benthic lower trophic levels will be impacted remains scarce. A laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of different climate change scenarios on a coral reef meiofauna community. Samples of the meiofauna community were collected from the coral reef subtidal zone of Serrambi beach (Ipojuca, Pernambuco, Brazil), using artificial substrate units. The units were exposed to control treatments and to three climate change scenarios, and collected after 15 and 29 d. Important changes in the meiofauna community structure were observed after 15 d of exposure. The major meiofauna groups exhibited divergent responses to the various scenarios. Although polychaetes were negatively affected after 29 d in the most severe scenario (Scenario III), harpacticoid copepods were negatively affected in Scenarios II and III after 15 and 29 d. Harpacticoid nauplii were strongly and negatively affected in all scenarios. In contrast, Nematoda exhibited higher densities in all scenarios. To the best of our knowledge, this community-based study was the first to observe how meiofauna organisms from a coral reef environment react to the synergetic effects of reductions in seawater pH and increased temperature.
Continue reading ‘Impact of predicted climate change scenarios on a coral reef meiofauna community’
Short-term interactive effects of ultraviolet radiation, carbon dioxide and nutrient enrichment on phytoplankton in a shallow coastal lagoon
Published 13 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: abundance, biological response, BRcommunity, community composition, field, growth, laboratory, light, multiple factors, North Atlantic, nutrients, otherprocess, phytoplankton
The main goal of this study was to evaluate short-term interactions between increased CO2, UVR and inorganic macronutrients (N, P and Si) on summer phytoplankton assemblages in the Ria Formosa coastal lagoon (SW Iberia), subjected to intense anthropogenic pressures and highly vulnerable to climate change. A multifactorial experiment using 20 different nutrient-enriched microcosms exposed to different spectral and CO2 conditions was designed. Before and after a 24-h in situ incubation, phytoplankton abundance and composition were analysed. Impacts and interactive effects of high CO2, UVR and nutrients varied among different functional groups. Increased UVR had negative effects on diatoms and cyanobacteria and positive effects on cryptophytes, whereas increased CO2 inhibited cyanobacteria but increased cryptophyte growth. A positive synergistic interaction between CO2 and UVR was observed for diatoms; high CO2 counteracted the negative effects of UVR under ambient nutrient concentrations. Nutrient enrichments suppressed the negative effects of high CO2 and UVR on cyanobacteria and diatoms, respectively. Beneficial effects of CO2 were observed for diatoms and cryptophytes under combined additions of nitrate and ammonium, suggesting that growth may be limited by DIC availability when the primary limitation by nitrogen is alleviated. Beneficial effects of high CO2 and UVR in diatoms were also induced or intensified by ammonium additions.
Risks of ocean acidification in the California Current food web and fisheries: ecosystem model projections
Published 13 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: biological response, BRcommunity, communitymodeling, fisheries, modeling, North Pacific, regionalmodeling
The benefits and ecosystem services that humans derive from the oceans are threatened by numerous global change stressors, one of which is ocean acidification. Here, we describe the effects of ocean acidification on an upwelling system that already experiences inherently low pH conditions, the California Current. We used an end-to-end ecosystem model (Atlantis), forced by downscaled global climate models and informed by a meta-analysis of the pH sensitivities of local taxa, to investigate the direct and indirect effects of future pH on biomass and fisheries revenues. Our model projects a 0.2-unit drop in pH during the summer upwelling season from 2013 to 2063, which results in wide-ranging magnitudes of effects across guilds and functional groups. The most dramatic direct effects of future pH may be expected on epibenthic invertebrates (crabs, shrimps, benthic grazers, benthic detritivores, bivalves), and strong indirect effects expected on some demersal fish, sharks, and epibenthic invertebrates (Dungeness crab) because they consume species known to be sensitive to changing pH. The model’s pelagic community, including marine mammals and seabirds, was much less influenced by future pH. Some functional groups were less affected to changing pH in the model than might be expected from experimental studies in the empirical literature due to high population productivity (e.g., copepods, pteropods). Model results suggest strong effects of reduced pH on nearshore state-managed invertebrate fisheries, but modest effects on the groundfish fishery because individual groundfish species exhibited diverse responses to changing pH. Our results provide a set of projections that generally support and build upon previous findings and set the stage for hypotheses to guide future modeling and experimental analysis on the effects of OA on marine ecosystems and fisheries.
Spatial competition dynamics between reef corals under ocean acidification
Published 12 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: biological response, BRcommunity, communityMF, communitymodeling, corals, growth, laboratory, modeling, multiple factors, performance, Red Sea
Climate change, including ocean acidification (OA), represents a major threat to coral-reef ecosystems. Although previous experiments have shown that OA can negatively affect the fitness of reef corals, these have not included the long-term effects of competition for space on coral growth rates. Our multispecies year-long study subjected reef-building corals from the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) to competitive interactions under present-day ocean pH (pH 8.1) and predicted end-of-century ocean pH (pH 7.6). Results showed coral growth is significantly impeded by OA under intraspecific competition for five out of six study species. Reduced growth from OA, however, is negligible when growth is already suppressed in the presence of interspecific competition. Using a spatial competition model, our analysis indicates shifts in the competitive hierarchy and a decrease in overall coral cover under lowered pH. Collectively, our case study demonstrates how modified competitive performance under increasing OA will in all likelihood change the composition, structure and functionality of reef coral communities.
Continue reading ‘Spatial competition dynamics between reef corals under ocean acidification’
Regional adaptation defines sensitivity to future ocean acidification
Published 12 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: adaptation, biological response, BRcommunity, community composition, dissolution, growth, molecular biology, mollusks, North Atlantic, otherprocess, physiology
Physiological responses to temperature are known to be a major determinant of species distributions and can dictate the sensitivity of populations to global warming. In contrast, little is known about how other major global change drivers, such as ocean acidification (OA), will shape species distributions in the future. Here, by integrating population genetics with experimental data for growth and mineralization, physiology and metabolomics, we demonstrate that the sensitivity of populations of the gastropod Littorina littorea to future OA is shaped by regional adaptation. Individuals from populations towards the edges of the natural latitudinal range in the Northeast Atlantic exhibit greater shell dissolution and the inability to upregulate their metabolism when exposed to low pH, thus appearing most sensitive to low seawater pH. Our results suggest that future levels of OA could mediate temperature-driven shifts in species distributions, thereby influencing future biogeography and the functioning of marine ecosystems.
Continue reading ‘Regional adaptation defines sensitivity to future ocean acidification’
Assessing the effects of ocean acidification in the Northeast US using an end-to-end marine ecosystem model
Published 9 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: biological response, BRcommunity, communitymodeling, methods, modeling, North Atlantic, regionalmodeling
The effects of ocean acidification on living marine resources present serious challenges for managers of these resources. An understanding of the ecosystem consequences of ocean acidification is required to assess tradeoffs among ecosystem components (e.g. fishery yield, protected species conservation, sensitive habitat) and adaptations to this perturbation. We used a marine ecosystem model for the Northeast US continental shelf to address direct and indirect effects of species responses to ocean acidification. Focusing on upper trophic level groups that are primary targets of fishing activity, we projected changes for systemic ecological and fisheries indicators. We modeled effects of ocean acidification as either fixed changes in mortality rate or production for select species groups over twenty years. Biomass and fishery yield of species groups that were modeled to have direct acidification impacts and groups that were not directly impacted both declined, due to both increased mortality/decreased growth and a decrease in availability of food for groups that prey on shelled invertebrates. Our analyses show that food web consequences of ocean acidification can extend beyond groups thought most vulnerable, and to fishery yield and ecosystem structure. However, the magnitude and precise nature of ocean acidification effects depend on understanding likely species’ responses to decrease in pH. While predicting the effects of ocean acidification is difficult, the potential impacts on ecosystem structure and function need to be evaluated now to provide scientists and managers preliminary assessments for planning and priority setting. Scenario analysis using simulation models like ours provides a framework for testing hypotheses about ecosystem consequences of acidification, and for integrating results of experiments and monitoring.
Effect of CO2 enrichment on phytoplankton photosynthesis in the North Atlantic sub-tropical gyre
Published 6 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: biological response, BRcommunity, community composition, field, North Atlantic, otherprocess, photosynthesis, phytoplankton, primary production
- 3 CO2 enrichment experiments were conducted in the North Atlantic sub-tropical gyre.
- Dinoflagellates dominated the biomass but there was no significant difference between high & low CO2.
- There were significantly higher photosynthetic rates at high CO2.
- These were due to the connection of reversible photosystem antennae at elevated CO2.
The effects of changes in CO2 concentration in seawater on phytoplankton community structure and photosynthesis were studied in the North Atlantic sub-tropical gyre. Three shipboard incubations were conducted for 48 h at ∼760 ppm CO2 and control (360 ppm CO2) from 49°N to 7°N during October and November 2010. Elevated CO2 caused a decrease in pH to ∼7.94 compared to ∼8.27 in the control. During one experiment, the biomass of nano- and picoeukaryotes increased under CO2 enrichment, but primary production decreased relative to the control. In two of the experiments the biomass was dominated by dinoflagellates, and there was a significant increase in the maximum photosynthetic rate (PBm) and light-limited slope of photosynthesis (αB) at CO2 concentrations of 760 ppm relative to the controls. 77 K emission spectroscopy showed that the higher photosynthetic rates measured under CO2 enrichment increased the connection of reversible photosystem antennae, which resulted in an increase in light harvesting efficiency and carbon fixation.
Influence of elevated temperature, pCO2, and nutrients on larva-biofilm interaction: Elucidation with acorn barnacle, Balanus amphitrite Darwin (Cirripedia: Thoracica)
Published 6 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: abundance, adaptation, arthropoda, biological response, BRcommunity, crustaceans, laboratory, molecular biology, multiple factors, nutrients, otherprocess, performance, physiology, reproduction, temperature
Highlights
- Biofilm- and diet-mediated effects of acidification and warming on barnacle larval settlement.
- Acidification had no direct effect but had cascading effect on settlement via biofilm-mediated changes.
- Warming either alone or in combination with acidification had direct negative effect on settlement.
- The negative effect of warming on settlement was compensated by biofilm-mediated changes.
- Diet grown under acidified and warmer condition yielded higher larval settlement.
Selection of optimal habitat by larvae of sessile organism is influenced by cues offered by the biofilm. Ocean warming and acidification are likely to enforce changes in the biofilm community and inturn influence the settlement process. Hence, we evaluated the influence of biofilm (multispecies and unialgal) and diet-mediated changes on the settlement of Balanus amphitrite cyprids (presettlement non-feeding larval stage) under different combinations of temperature (28, 30, 32 and 34 °C), pCO2 (400, 750 and 1500 μatm) and nutrient (unenriched and f/2 enriched). Nutrient enrichment enhanced the diatom and bacterial abundance at ambient temperature (30 °C) and pCO2 (400 μatm), which inturn increased larval settlement. Elevated pCO2 (750 and 1500 μatm) had no direct effect but a variable cascading effect on the settlement via biofilm-mediated changes was observed, depending on the type of biofilm. In contrast, elevated temperature (32 and 34 °C), either individually or in combination with elevated pCO2 had direct negative effect on settlement. However, biofilm-mediated changes compensated this negative effect. The larval settlement was also influenced by changes in the larval diet. Under elevated temperature and pCO2, cyprids raised with a feed (Chaetoceros calcitrans) from ambient temperature and pCO2 were of poor quality (lower RNA:DNA ratio, lower protein synthetic capacity) and yielded lower settlement. However, cyprids raised with a feed from elevated temperature and pCO2 were of better quality (higher RNA:DNA ratio, higher protein synthetic capacity) and yielded higher settlement. Overall, the observations from the present study provide insights into the significance of biotic interactions on the coastal biofouling communities under future climatic scenario and emphasise the need for future experiments on these aspects.
Ocean acidification impacts bacteria–phytoplankton coupling at low-nutrient conditions (update)
Published 3 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: abundance, Baltic, biogeochemistry, biological response, BRcommunity, community composition, field, mesocosms, multiple factors, nutrients, otherprocess, physiology, primary production, prokaryotes, respiration
The oceans absorb about a quarter of the annually produced anthropogenic atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), resulting in a decrease in surface water pH, a process termed ocean acidification (OA). Surprisingly little is known about how OA affects the physiology of heterotrophic bacteria or the coupling of heterotrophic bacteria to phytoplankton when nutrients are limited. Previous experiments were, for the most part, undertaken during productive phases or following nutrient additions designed to stimulate algal blooms. Therefore, we performed an in situ large-volume mesocosm ( ∼ 55 m3) experiment in the Baltic Sea by simulating different fugacities of CO2 (fCO2) extending from present to future conditions. The study was conducted in July–August after the nominal spring bloom, in order to maintain low-nutrient conditions throughout the experiment. This resulted in phytoplankton communities dominated by small-sized functional groups (picophytoplankton). There was no consistent fCO2-induced effect on bacterial protein production (BPP), cell-specific BPP (csBPP) or biovolumes (BVs) of either free-living (FL) or particle-associated (PA) heterotrophic bacteria, when considered as individual components (univariate analyses). Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) revealed a significant effect of the fCO2 treatment on entire assemblages of dissolved and particulate nutrients, metabolic parameters and the bacteria–phytoplankton community. However, distance-based linear modelling only identified fCO2 as a factor explaining the variability observed amongst the microbial community composition, but not for explaining variability within the metabolic parameters. This suggests that fCO2 impacts on microbial metabolic parameters occurred indirectly through varying physicochemical parameters and microbial species composition. Cluster analyses examining the co-occurrence of different functional groups of bacteria and phytoplankton further revealed a separation of the four fCO2-treated mesocosms from both control mesocosms, indicating that complex trophic interactions might be altered in a future acidified ocean. Possible consequences for nutrient cycling and carbon export are still largely unknown, in particular in a nutrient-limited ocean.
Tropical CO2 seeps reveal the impact of ocean acidification on coral reef invertebrate recruitment
Published 3 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: abundance, annelids, biological response, BRcommunity, community composition, corals, crustaceans, field, mollusks, otherprocess, protists, reproduction, South Pacific, vents, zooplankton
Highlights
- CO2 seeps at two coral reefs in Papua New Guinea were used as natural analogues of ocean acidification.
- Elevated CO2 affected recruitment in marine invertebrate communities.
- Calcified recruits of reef-dwelling Foraminifera, polychaetes, gastropods, and bivalves were vulnerable to acidification.
- Amphipods and copepods, which are important prey taxa, were adversely affected by acidification caused by elevated CO2.
Rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations are causing ocean acidification by reducing seawater pH and carbonate saturation levels. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that many larval and juvenile marine invertebrates are vulnerable to these changes in surface ocean chemistry, but challenges remain in predicting effects at community and ecosystem levels. We investigated the effect of ocean acidification on invertebrate recruitment at two coral reef CO2 seeps in Papua New Guinea. Invertebrate communities differed significantly between ‘reference’ (median pH 7.97, 8.00), ‘high CO2’ (median pH 7.77, 7.79), and ‘extreme CO2’ (median pH 7.32, 7.68) conditions at each reef. There were also significant reductions in calcifying taxa, copepods and amphipods as CO2 levels increased. The observed shifts in recruitment were comparable to those previously described in the Mediterranean, revealing an ecological mechanism by which shallow coastal systems are affected by near-future levels of ocean acidification.
Effect of ocean acidification on the structure and fatty acid composition of a natural plankton community in the Baltic Sea (update)
Published 19 December 2016 Media coverage , Science ClosedTags: Baltic, biological response, BRcommunity, community composition, field, mesocosms, otherprocess, physiology, phytoplankton
Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is changing seawater chemistry towards reduced pH, which affects various properties of marine organisms. Coastal and brackish water communities are expected to be less affected by ocean acidification (OA) as these communities are typically adapted to high fluctuations in CO2 and pH. Here we investigate the response of a coastal brackish water plankton community to increasing CO2 levels as projected for the coming decades and the end of this century in terms of community and biochemical fatty acid (FA) composition. A Baltic Sea plankton community was enclosed in a set of offshore mesocosms and subjected to a CO2 gradient ranging from natural concentrations ( ∼ 347 µatm fCO2) up to values projected for the year 2100 ( ∼ 1333 µatm fCO2). We show that the phytoplankton community composition was resilient to CO2 and did not diverge between the treatments. Seston FA composition was influenced by community composition, which in turn was driven by silicate and phosphate limitation in the mesocosms and showed no difference between the CO2 treatments. These results suggest that CO2 effects are dampened in coastal communities that already experience high natural fluctuations in pCO2. Although this coastal plankton community was tolerant of high pCO2 levels, hypoxia and CO2 uptake by the sea can aggravate acidification and may lead to pH changes outside the currently experienced range for coastal organisms.
Competitive fitness of a predominant pelagic calcifier impaired by ocean acidification
Published 16 December 2016 Science ClosedTags: abundance, biogeochemistry, biological response, BRcommunity, community composition, field, mesocosms, North Atlantic, otherprocess, phytoplankton
Coccolithophores—single-celled calcifying phytoplankton—are an important group of marine primary producers and the dominant builders of calcium carbonate globally. Coccolithophores form extensive blooms and increase the density and sinking speed of organic matter via calcium carbonate ballasting. Thereby, they play a key role in the marine carbon cycle. Coccolithophore physiological responses to experimental ocean acidification have ranged from moderate stimulation to substantial decline in growth and calcification rates, combined with enhanced malformation of their calcite platelets. Here we report on a mesocosm experiment conducted in a Norwegian fjord in which we exposed a natural plankton community to a wide range of CO2-induced ocean acidification, to test whether these physiological responses affect the ecological success of coccolithophore populations. Under high-CO2 treatments, Emiliania huxleyi, the most abundant and productive coccolithophore species, declined in population size during the pre-bloom period and lost the ability to form blooms. As a result, particle sinking velocities declined by up to 30% and sedimented organic matter was reduced by up to 25% relative to controls. There were also strong reductions in seawater concentrations of the climate-active compound dimethylsulfide in CO2-enriched mesocosms. We conclude that ocean acidification can lower calcifying phytoplankton productivity, potentially creating a positive feedback to the climate system.
Performance of herring larvae in a simulated future ocean food web, using the “Kiel Off-Shore Mesocosms for future Ocean Simulations”
Published 13 December 2016 Science ClosedTags: Baltic, biological response, BRcommunity, communityMF, field, fish, mesocosms, morphology, multiple factors, performance, phytoplankton, reproduction
We studied the combined direct physiological and indirect food web effects of ocean acidification on herring larvae inside pelagic mesocosms. A natural plankton community of the Gullmarsfjord, Sweden was enclosed in the Kiel Off-Shore Mesocosms for future Ocean Simulations (KOSMOS) for 113 days from March to June 2013 at ambient and projected end-of-the-century CO2 levels (~760 µatm pCO2). Herring eggs were introduced into the mesocosms, where they hatched in mid of May. The larvae developed inside the mesocosms for ~6 weeks, feeding on prey organisms that experienced treatment CO2 levels for ~9 weeks. This video is meant as an illustration of the herring larvae«s performance inside our mesocosm units.
Impact of ocean acidification on Arctic phytoplankton blooms and dimethylsulfide production under simulated ice-free and under-ice conditions
Published 7 December 2016 Science ClosedTags: abundance, Arctic, biogeochemistry, biological response, BRcommunity, community composition, laboratory, light, multiple factors, otherprocess, photosynthesis, phytoplankton, prokaryotes
In an experimental assessment of the potential impact of Arctic Ocean acidification on seasonal phytoplankton blooms and associated dimethylsulfide (DMS) dynamics, we incubated water from Baffin Bay under conditions representing an acidified Arctic Ocean. Using two light regimes simulating under-ice/ subsurface chlorophyll maxima (low light; Low PAR and no UVB) and ice-free (high light; High PAR + UVA + UVB) conditions, water collected at 38 m was exposed over 9 days to 6 levels of decreasing pH from 8.1 to 7.2. A phytoplankton bloom dominated by the centric diatoms Chaetoceros spp. reaching up to 7.5 µg chlorophyll a L−1 took place in all experimental bags. Total dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSPT) and DMS concentrations reached 155 nmol L−1 and 19 nmol L−1, respectively. Under both light regimes, chlorophyll a and DMS concentrations decreased linearly with increasing proton concentration at all pH tested. Concentrations of DMSPT also decreased but only under high light and over a smaller pH range (from 8.1 to 7.6). In contrast to nanophytoplankton (2–20 µm), picophytoplankton (≤ 2 µm) was stimulated by the decreasing pH. We furthermore observed no significant difference between the two light regimes tested in term of chlorophyll a, phytoplankton abundance/ taxonomy, and DMSP/ DMS net concentrations. These results show that OA could significantly decrease the algal biomass and inhibit DMS production during the seasonal phytoplankton bloom in the Arctic, with possible consequences for the regional climate.
