Near-future level of CO2-driven ocean acidification radically affects larval survival and development in the brittlestar Ophiothrix fragilis
Top Cited Papers
Open Access
- 23 December 2008
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Inter-Research Science Center in Marine Ecology Progress Series
- Vol. 373, 285-294
- https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07800
Abstract
The world's oceans are slowly becoming more acidic. In the last 150 yr, the pH of the oceans has dropped by similar to 0.1 units, which is equivalent to a 25 % increase in acidity. Modelling predicts the pH of the oceans to fall by 0.2 to 0.4 units by the year 2100. These changes will have significant effects on marine organisms, especially those with calcareous skeletons such as echinoderms. Little is known about the possible long-term impact of predicted pH changes on marine invertebrate larval development. Here we predict the consequences of increased CO2 (corresponding to pH drops of 0.2 and 0.4 units) on the larval development of the brittlestar Ophiothrix fragilis, which is a keystone species occurring in high densities and stable populations throughout the shelf seas of northwestern Europe (eastern Atlantic). Acidification by 0.2 units induced 100 % larval mortality within 8 d while control larvae showed 70 % survival over the same period. Exposure to low pH also resulted in a temporal decrease in larval size as well as abnormal development and skeletogenesis (abnormalities, asymmetry, altered skeletal proportions). If oceans continue to acidify as expected, ecosystems of the Atlantic dominated by this keystone species will be seriously threatened with major changes in many key benthic and pelagic ecosystems. Thus, it may be useful to monitor O. fragilis populations and initiate conservation if needed.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Effects of increased seawater pCO2 on early development of the oyster Crassostrea gigasAquatic Biology, 2007
- Impact of anthropogenic atmospheric nitrogen and sulfur deposition on ocean acidification and the inorganic carbon systemProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2007
- Effects of carbon dioxide and climate change on ocean acidification and carbonate mineral saturationGeophysical Research Letters, 2007
- Effects of anthropogenic seawater acidification on acid–base balance in the sea urchin Psammechinus miliarisMarine Pollution Bulletin, 2007
- A genome-wide analysis of biomineralization-related proteins in the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratusDevelopmental Biology, 2006
- Modern‐age buildup of CO2 and its effects on seawater acidity and salinityGeophysical Research Letters, 2006
- The impacts of climate change in coastal marine systemsEcology Letters, 2006
- Anthropogenic carbon and ocean pHNature, 2003
- Pelagic dispersal of the brittle-star Ophiothrix fragilis larvae in a megatidal area (English Channel, France) examined using an advection/diffusion modelEstuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2003
- Functional design in the evolution of embryos and larvaeSeminars in Cell & Developmental Biology, 2000