Publication Date:
2013-06-29
Description:
Hurst, T. P., Fernandez, E. R., and Mathis, J. T. 2013. Effects of ocean acidification on hatch size and larval growth of walleye pollock ( Theragra chalcogramma ). – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: 812–822. Rising atmospheric concentrations of CO 2 are predicted to decrease the pH of high-latitude oceans by 0.3–0.5 units by 2100. Because of their limited capacity for ion exchange, embryos and larvae of marine fishes are predicted to be more sensitive to elevated CO 2 than juveniles and adults. Eggs and larvae of walleye pollock ( Theragra chalcogramma ) were incubated across a broad range of CO 2 levels (280–2100 µatm) to evaluate sensitivity in this critical resource species. Slightly elevated CO 2 levels (~450 µatm) resulted in earlier hatching times, but differences among egg batches were greater than those observed across CO 2 treatments. Egg batches differed significantly in size-at-hatch metrics, but we observed no consistent effect of CO 2 level. In three independent experiments, walleye pollock were reared at ambient and elevated CO 2 levels through the early larval stage (to ~30 days post-hatch). Across trials, there were only minor effects of CO 2 level on size and growth rate, but fish in the ambient treatments tended to be slightly smaller than fish reared at elevated CO 2 levels. These results suggest that growth potential of early life stages of walleye pollock is resilient with respect to the direct physiological effects of ocean acidification.
Print ISSN:
1054-3139
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9289
Topics:
Biology
,
Geosciences
,
Physics
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