Early reproductive stages in the crustose coralline alga Phymatolithon lenormandii are strongly affected by mild ocean acidification

• Published in: Marine biology Vol. 160; no. 8; pp. 2261 - 2269
• Main Authors: Bradassi, F., Cumani, F., Bressan, G., Dupont, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.08.2013; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acidification; Algae; Animal and plant ecology; Animal reproduction; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Sciences; Biologiska vetenskaper; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Corallinales; Environmental aspects; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Life Sciences; Marine; Marine & Freshwater Sciences; Marine biology; Microbiology; Mortality; Ocean acidification; Oceanography; Oceans; Original Paper; Phymatolithon lenormandii; Physiological aspects; Reproduction; Rhodophyta; Sea water ecosystems; Synecology; Zoology; Italy; Abnormality Index; Encrust Coralline Alga; Ocean Acidification; Coralline Alga; High Magnesium Calcite; Acidification; Ocean; Early stage; Reproduction; Alga; Algae
• ISSN: 0025-3162; 1432-1793
• DOI: 10.1007/s00227-013-2260-2

Coralline algae (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) are predicted to be negatively impacted by near-future ocean acidification. The effect of low pH/high p CO 2 on early life stages of Phymatolithon lenormandii (Areschoug) Adey was studied in a perturbation experiment. Several parameters including mortality, calcification (calcein staining) and development (growth and abnormalities) have been monitored for a month under experimental conditions ranging from pH T  = 8.00 ( p CO 2  = 398 μatm) and pH T  = 7.55 ( p CO 2  = 1,261 μatm). Our results demonstrate that survival and development of P. lenormandii early life stages can be impacted by small pH changes (ΔpH < −0.1 pH unit). A negative impact of decreasing pH was observed including an increased mortality and a higher rate of abnormalities. Growth and calcification were still observed at the lowest pH (ΔpH = −0.45). Growth rate was similar at all tested pH, but the maintenance of the skeleton under low pH was only possible through a persistent dynamic dissolution/calcification process, an energetically costly mechanism potentially draining resources from other vital processes.