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Effects of Ocean Acidification on the Life Cycle and Fitness of the Mysid Shrimp Americamysis Bahia
Citation:
Grear, J., D. Borsay, R. Gobell, AND M. Bernardo. Effects of Ocean Acidification on the Life Cycle and Fitness of the Mysid Shrimp Americamysis Bahia. Presented at North Atlantic Chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (NAC/SETAC). 18th Annual Meeting.
Impact/Purpose:
This presentation describes the results of laboratory studies of CO2-induced seawater acidification on vital rates and demogrqaphy of the marine crustacean Americamysis bahia.
Description:
Most concern about effects of CO2-induced ocean acidification focuses on mollusks, corals, and coccolithophores because skeletal and shell formation by these organisms is sensitive to the solubility of calcium minerals. However, many other marine organisms are likely affected by calcium availability and other acidification-related conditions such as altered cellular acid-base balance. We studied responses of the mysid Americamysis bahia to increased CO2 by bubbling CO2-enriched air into the seawater supply for flow-through aquariums. Our experiments included a cohort study (initiated with 1-day old groups of individuals) as well as a 5-month study of demographic responses of intact, size-structured populations. The cohort study was intended to simulate a CO2 increase of 100-200 parts per million (partial pressure), which is within the range of that expected during the next century. Responses were monitored weekly by counting and sizing individuals. The strongest response was in the number of neonates present at the end of the third week, which was 3 times higher in the control than in the CO2 treatment (5 aquaria per treatment; each aquarium initiated with ten 1-day old individuals). The demographic study was smaller (3 tanks per treatment) but ran for twenty weeks and produced ~7500 mysid length measurements. Effects were less clear, but combined with cohort results, suggest that ocean acidification has the potential to affect the demography of marine crustacean populations. Monitoring of carbonate system characteristics in our study was limited, so further studies are needed. In addition, future studies should include a gradient of realistic CO2 manipulations and should recognize that, although standard cohort tests provide critical insight into biological responses, they should be complimented by studies of intact populations and food webs where biological responses may be reshaped by trophic interactions, competition, and evolution.