ALBERT

Description: The present study investigated the combined effects of ocean acidification, temperature, and salinity on growth and test degradation of Ammonia aomoriensis. This species is one of the dominant benthic foraminifera in near-coastal habitats of the southwestern Baltic Sea that can be particularly sensitive to changes in seawater carbonate chemistry. To assess potential responses to ocean acidification and climate change, we performed a fully crossed experiment involving three temperatures (8, 13, and 18uC), three salinities (15, 20, and 25) and four pCO2 levels (566, 1195, 2108, and 3843 matm) for six weeks. Our results highlight a sensitive response of A. aomoriensis to undersaturated seawater with respect to calcite. The specimens continued to grow and increase their test diameter in treatments with pCO2 ,1200 matm, when Vcalc .1. Growth rates declined when pCO2 exceeded 1200 matm (Vcalc ,1). A significant reduction in test diameter and number of tests due to dissolution was observed below a critical Vcalc of 0.5. Elevated temperature (18uC) led to increased Vcalc, larger test diameter, and lower test degradation. Maximal growth was observed at 18uC. No significant relationship was observed between salinity and test growth. Lowered and undersaturated Vcalc, which results from increasing pCO2 in bottom waters, may cause a significant future decline of the population density of A. aomoriensis in its natural environment. At the same time, this effect might be partially compensated by temperature rise due to global warming.

Description: The upwelling area off Peru is characterized by exceptionally high rates of primary productivity, mainly dominated by diatoms, which require dissolved silicic acid (dSi) to construct their frustules. The silicon isotope compositions of dissolved silicic acid (δ 30 Si dSi ) and biogenic silica (δ 30 Si bSi ) in the ocean carry information about dSi utilization, dissolution, and water mass mixing. Diatoms are preserved in the underlying sediments and can serve as archives for past nutrient conditions. However, the factors influencing the Si isotope fractionation between diatoms and seawater are not fully understood. More δ 30 Si bSi data in today’s ocean are required to validate and improve the understanding of paleo records. Here, we present the first δ 30 Si bSi data (together with δ 30 Si dSi ) from the water column in the Peruvian Upwelling region. Samples were taken under strong upwelling conditions and the bSi collected from seawater consisted of more than 98% diatoms. The δ 30 Si dSi signatures in the surface waters were higher (+1.7‰ to +3.0‰) than δ 30 Si bSi (+1.0‰ to +2‰) with offsets between diatoms and seawater (Δ 30 Si) ranging from −0.4‰ to −1.0‰. In contrast, δ 30 Si dSi and δ 30 Si bSi signatures were similar in the subsurface waters of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) as a consequence of a decrease in δ 30 Si dSi . A strong relationship between δ 30 Si bSi and [dSi] in surface water samples supports that dSi utilization of the available pool (70 and 98%) is the main driver controlling δ 30 Si bSi . A comparison of δ 30 Si bSi samples from the water column and from underlying core-top sediments (δ 30 Si bSi_ sed. ) in the central upwelling region off Peru (10°S and 15°S) showed good agreement (δ 30 Si bSi_ sed. = +0.9‰ to +1.7‰), although we observed small differences in δ 30 Si bSi depending on the diatom size fraction and diatom assemblage. A detailed analysis of the diatom assemblages highlights apparent variability in fractionation among taxa that has to be taken into account when using δ 30 Si bSi data as a paleo proxy for the reconstruction of dSi utilization in the region.

Description: Bivalve calcification, particularly of the early larval stages, is highly sensitive to the change in ocean carbonate chemistry resulting from atmospheric CO2 uptake. Earlier studies suggested that declining seawater [CO32-] and thereby lowered carbonate saturation affect shell production. However, disturbances of physiological processes such as acid-base regulation by adverse seawater pCO2 and pH can affect calcification in a secondary fashion. In order to determine the exact carbonate system component by which growth and calcification are affected it is necessary to utilize more complex carbonate chemistry manipulations. As single factors, pCO2 had no effects and [HCO3-] and pH had only limited effects on shell growth, while lowered [CO32-] strongly impacted calcification. Dissolved inorganic carbon (CT) limiting conditions led to strong reductions in calcification, despite high [CO32-], indicating that [HCO3-] rather than [CO32-] is the inorganic carbon source utilized for calcification by mytilid mussels. However, as the ratio [HCO3-] / [H+] is linearly correlated with [CO32-] it is not possible to differentiate between these under natural seawater conditions. An equivalent of about 80 µmol kg-1 [CO32-] is required to saturate inorganic carbon supply for calcification in bivalves. Below this threshold biomineralization rates rapidly decline. A comparison of literature data available for larvae and juvenile mussels and oysters originating from habitats differing substantially with respect to prevailing carbonate chemistry conditions revealed similar response curves. This suggests that the mechanisms which determine sensitivity of calcification in this group are highly conserved. The higher sensitivity of larval calcification seems to primarily result from the much higher relative calcification rates in early life stages. In order to reveal and understand the mechanisms that limit or facilitate adaptation to future ocean acidification, it is necessary to better understand the physiological processes and their underlying genetics that govern inorganic carbon assimilation for calcification.

Description: Ocean acidification severely affects bivalves, especially their larval stages. Consequently, the fate of this ecologically and economically important group depends on the capacity and rate of evolutionary adaptation to altered ocean carbonate chemistry. We document successful settlement of wild mussel larvae (Mytilus edulis) in a periodically CO2-enriched habitat. The larval fitness of the population originating from the CO2-enriched habitat was compared to the response of a population from a nonenriched habitat in a common garden experiment. The high CO2-adapted population showed higher fitness under elevated Pco2 (partial pressure of CO2) than the non-adapted cohort, demonstrating, for the first time, an evolutionary response of a natural mussel population to ocean acidification. To assess the rate of adaptation, we performed a selection experiment over three generations. CO2 tolerance differed substantially between the families within the F1 generation, and survival was drastically decreased in the highest, yet realistic, Pco2 treatment. Selection of CO2-tolerant F1 animals resulted in higher calcification performance of F2 larvae during early shell formation but did not improve overall survival. Our results thus reveal significant short-term selective responses of traits directly affected by ocean acidification and long-term adaptation potential in a key bivalve species. Because immediate response to selection did not directly translate into increased fitness, multigenerational studies need to take into consideration the multivariate nature of selection acting in natural habitats. Combinations of short-term selection with long-term adaptation in populations from CO2-enriched versus nonenriched natural habitats represent promising approaches for estimating adaptive potential of organisms facing global change.