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Effects of low p CO 2 conditions on sea urchin larval size
Author(s) -
Suwa Ryota,
Nojiri Yukihiro,
Ono Tsuneo,
Shirayama Yoshihisa
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
marine ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.668
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1439-0485
pISSN - 0173-9565
DOI - 10.1111/maec.12044
Subject(s) - ocean acidification , sea urchin , larva , carbon dioxide , carbon dioxide in earth's atmosphere , marine species , oceanography , environmental science , biology , environmental chemistry , ecology , seawater , chemistry , geology
Ocean acidification results from an increase in the concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide ( CO 2 ) impacts on marine calcifying species, which is predicted to become more pronounced in the future. By the end of this century, atmospheric p CO 2 levels will have doubled relative to the pre‐industrial levels of 280 ppm. However, the effects of pre‐industrial p CO 2 levels on marine organisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of pre‐industrial p CO 2 conditions on the size of the pluteus larvae of sea urchins, which are known to be vulnerable to ocean acidification. The larval size of H emicentrotus pulcherrimus significantly increased when reared at pre‐industrial p CO 2 level relative to the present one, and the size of A nthocidaris crassispina larvae decreased as the p CO 2 levels increased from the pre‐industrial level to the near future ones after 3 days' exposure. In this study, it is suggested that echinoid larvae responded to pre‐industrial p CO 2 levels. Ocean acidification may be affecting some sensitive marine calcifiers even at the present p CO 2 level.