Month: December 2016

Metabolic cost of calcification in bivalve larvae under experimental ocean acidification

Published OA 13 December 2016 Abstract: Physiological increases in energy expenditure frequently occur in response to environmental stress. Although energy limitation is often invoked as a basis for decreased calcification under ocean acidification, energy-relevant measurements related to this process are scant. In this study we focus on first-shell (prodissoconch I) formation in

Competitive fitness of a predominant pelagic calcifier impaired by ocean acidification

Published 16 December 2016   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

A small change with a large impact – mesocosm experiment reveals how community interactions amplify the response of a calcifying phytoplankton species to ocean acidification

Published OA 16 December 2016   The uptake of fossil fuel carbon dioxide (CO2) by the ocean increases seawater acidity and causes a decline in carbonate ion concentrations. This process, termed ocean acidification, makes it energetically more costly for calcifying organisms to form their calcareous shells and skeletons. Several studies have

Improved marine-derived POM availability and increased pH related to freshwater influence in an inland sea

Published 8 December 2016   Rapid changes, including warming and freshening, are occurring in coastal marine ecosystems worldwide. These environmental changes have the potential to alter ecosystem energetics by influencing availability of food sources and organism physiology. We investigated the influence of oceanographic variability on food availability and quality to benthic