Ocean acidification takes sperm back in time
- 20 May 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Invertebrate Reproduction & Development
- Vol. 55 (4), 217-221
- https://doi.org/10.1080/07924259.2011.574842
Abstract
Ocean acidification as a result of an enriched carbon dioxide atmosphere threatens ecosystem health and marine biodiversity. The reproductive and early life-stages of animals have been suggested as among the most vulnerable to ocean acidification perturbations. To explore this theory further we applied computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA) to investigate the combined effect of pH (8.06–7.67) and temperature (14–20°C) on sea urchin sperm motility. Previous studies have either observed no or inhibitory impacts of ocean acidification on sperm swimming. Surprisingly, we observed a substantial improvement in swimming speed at reduced seawater pH compared with performance at current pH levels. This suggests that current levels may be suboptimal for maximal sperm swimming speeds. Temperature was found to affect swimming speed but not percent motility. Our observations suggest that swimming speed may be improved as seawater pH approaches conditions resembling the paleo-ocean. However, this does not necessarily equate to an improvement in reproductive fitness due to a trade-off between sperm-swimming speed and longevity. This indicates that ocean acidification may benefit certain aspects of the reproductive biology of some marine animals.Keywords
This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit:
- Elevated pCO2 increases sperm limitation and risk of polyspermy in the red sea urchin Strongylocentrotus franciscanusGlobal Change Biology, 2010
- Effect of ocean acidification on marine fish sperm (Baltic cod: Gadus morhua)Biogeosciences (online), 2010
- Near-future levels of ocean acidification do not affect sperm motility and fertilization kinetics in the oyster Crassostrea gigasBiogeosciences (online), 2009
- Transcriptomic response of sea urchin larvaeStrongylocentrotus purpuratusto CO2-driven seawater acidificationJournal of Experimental Biology, 2009
- The effect of ocean acidification and temperature on the fertilization and embryonic development of the Sydney rock oyster Saccostrea glomerata (Gould 1850)Global Change Biology, 2009
- Effects of ocean acidification on the early life history of a tropical marine fishProceedings. Biological sciences, 2009
- Temperature, but not pH, compromises sea urchin fertilization and early development under near-future climate change scenariosProceedings. Biological sciences, 2009
- Near-future level of CO2-driven ocean acidification radically affects larval survival and development in the brittlestar Ophiothrix fragilisMarine Ecology Progress Series, 2008
- Workshop report: clinical CASA--the quest for consensusReproduction, Fertility and Development, 1995
- A volatile inhibitor immobilizes sea urchin sperm in semen by depressing the intracellular pHDevelopmental Biology, 1983