A triple trophic boost: How carbon emissions indirectly change a marine food chain

Doubleday, Zoë A.; Nagelkerken, Ivan; Coutts, Madeleine D.; Goldenberg, Silvan U.; Connell, Sean D.

doi:10.1111/gcb.14536

Cited by 23 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…We observed doubled predatory fish densities under acidified conditions, likely due to bottom-up benefits of high pCO 2 on preys, or some other variables that we did not specifically measure. Our finding agrees with other studies in CO 2 vents reporting an increased biomass of common site-attached carnivorous blennies or triplefins, which was related to a lower abundance of their predators 31 or to the CO 2 -resource effect 32 . Wrasses Figure 5.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Resistance of seagrass habitats to ocean acidification via altered interactions in a tri-trophic chain

Martínez-Crego

Vizzini

Califano

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Despite the wide knowledge about prevalent effects of ocean acidification on single species, the consequences on species interactions that may promote or prevent habitat shifts are still poorly understood. Using natural CO 2 vents, we investigated changes in a key tri-trophic chain embedded within all its natural complexity in seagrass systems. We found that seagrass habitats remain stable at vents despite the changes in their tri-trophic components. Under high pco 2 , the feeding of a key herbivore (sea urchin) on a less palatable seagrass and its associated epiphytes decreased, whereas the feeding on higher-palatable green algae increased. We also observed a doubled density of a predatory wrasse under acidified conditions. Bottom-up CO 2 effects interact with top-down control by predators to maintain the abundance of sea urchin populations under ambient and acidified conditions. The weakened urchin herbivory on a seagrass that was subjected to an intense fish herbivory at vents compensates the overall herbivory pressure on the habitat-forming seagrass. Overall plasticity of the studied system components may contribute to prevent habitat loss and to stabilize the system under acidified conditions. Thus, preserving the network of species interactions in seagrass ecosystems may help to minimize the impacts of ocean acidification in near-future oceans.www.nature.com/scientificreports www.nature.com/scientificreports/ due to eutrophication and/or the removal of predators that control herbivore populations by overfishing, either directly or indirectly via reduced control on small predators that feed on algae-removing mesograzers. We know comparatively less about changes in the strength of species interactions that may critically influence the persistence of seagrass ecosystems under ocean acidification.The Mediterranean endemic seagrass Posidonia oceanica forms complex systems with well-defined main trophic links. Two macroherbivores alone, the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus and the sparid fish Sarpa salpa (commonly known as salema), may remove 50% of the annual seagrass productivity in shallow meadows 16 . In this study, we investigate mechanisms behind the change or stability of Posidonia habitats under ocean acidification. Particularly, we examined the interactions' strength under present (off-vent) and near-future OA conditions (CO 2 vents) of a tri-trophic food chain embedded within all its natural complexity. We studied multiple basal resources, one of the two main seagrass herbivores (sea urchin), and a territorial labrid fish that is known to predate on such herbivore 17,18 (Symphodus tinca, commonly known as peacock wrasse). Both consumers have restricted benthic home ranges, which ensures long-term exposure to high pCO 2 levels at the vent sites for them and their resources. Particularly, we investigated the strength of consumers' feeding by quantifying CNP stoichiometry, diet composition, trophic niche and position (stable isotope analysis (SIA)-based and diet-based), as well as the availability and pala...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Resistance of seagrass habitats to ocean acidification via altered interactions in a tri-trophic chain

Martínez-Crego

Vizzini

Califano

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…This study was carried out between April 2014 and July 2015 in shallow P. oceanica meadows at CO 2 vents off the Castello Aragonese isle (Ischia Island, 40°43′51.01″N, 13°57′48.07″E; Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). Submarine vents have been extensively used to assess the effects of naturally acidified seawater on biological communities as they are characterized by the emission of gases into seawater, predominantly CO 2 , which create gradients in pH and carbonate chemistry, without confounding gradients of other environmental variables, such as temperature, salinity, hydrodynamic conditions, and toxic hydrogen sulfide (Hall‐Spencer et al ; Fabricius et al ; Russell et al ; Milazzo et al ; Doubleday et al ). In particular, in the last decade, previous studies carried out at Ischia Island vents have shown that areas exposed to CO 2 bubbling do not differ from control areas in terms of salinity (38‰), temperature (seasonal fluctuations of 14–25°C), light (~ 7500 lx d −1 ), and total alkalinity (2.5 mequiv.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ocean acidification alters meiobenthic assemblage composition and organic matter degradation rates in seagrass sediments

Ravaglioli

Lardicci

Pusceddu

et al. 2019

Limnology & Oceanography

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Seagrass meadows are an important organic matter (OM) reservoir but, are currently being lost due to global and regional stressors. Yet, there is limited research investigating the cumulative impacts of anthropogenic stressors on the structure and functioning of seagrass benthic assemblages, key drivers of OM mineralization and burial. Here, using a 16‐month field experiment, we assessed how meiobenthic assemblages and extracellular enzymatic activities (as a proxy of OM degradation) in Posidonia oceanica sediments responded to ocean acidification (OA) and nutrient loadings, at CO2 vents. P. oceanica meadows were exposed to three nutrient levels (control, moderate, and high) at both ambient and low pH sites. OA altered meiobenthic assemblage structure, resulting in increased abundance of annelids and crustaceans, along with a decline in foraminifera. In addition, low pH enhanced OM degradation rates in seagrass sediments by enhancing extracellular enzymatic activities, potentially decreasing the sediment carbon storage capacity of seagrasses. Nutrient enrichment had no effect on the response variables analyzed, suggesting that, under nutrient concentration unlikely to cause N or P imitation, a moderate increase of dissolved nutrients in the water column had limited influence on meiobenthic assemblages. These findings show that OA can significantly alter meiobenthic assemblage structure and enhance OM degradation rates in seagrass sediments. As meiofauna are ubiquitous key actors in the functioning of benthic ecosystems, we postulated that OA, altering the structure of meiobenthic assemblages and OM degradation, could affect organic carbon sequestration over large spatial scales.

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“…It is suggested that smaller body size is a physiological adaptation to environmental acidification in order to maintain calcification as well as to have the energy to repair shell dissolution (Garilli et al ., 2015). For herbivorous gastropods living at vent sites, the enhanced algal food levels due to high CO 2 can buffer, to a variable extent, the negative effect of OA on calcification (Doubleday et al ., 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of environmental acidification on the microstructure and mechanical integrity of marine invertebrate skeletons

Byrne

Fitzer

2019

Conservation Physiology

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Ocean acidification (OA), from seawater uptake of anthropogenic CO2, has a suite of negative effects on the ability of marine invertebrates to produce and maintain their skeletons. Increased organism pCO2 causes hypercapnia, an energetically costly physiological stress. OA alters seawater carbonate chemistry, limiting the carbonate available to form the calcium carbonate (CaCO3) minerals used to build skeletons. The reduced saturation state of CaCO3 also causes corrosion of CaCO3 structures. Global change is also accelerating coastal acidification driven by land-run off (e.g. acid soil leachates, tannic acid). Building and maintaining marine biomaterials in the face of changing climate will depend on the balance between calcification and dissolution. Overall, in response to environmental acidification, many calcifiers produce less biomineral and so have smaller body size. Studies of skeleton development in echinoderms and molluscs across life stages show the stunting effect of OA. For corals, linear extension may be maintained, but at the expense of less dense biomineral. Conventional metrics used to quantify growth and calcification need to be augmented by characterisation of the changes to biomineral structure and mechanical integrity caused by environmental acidification. Scanning electron microscopy and microcomputed tomography of corals, tube worms and sea urchins exposed to experimental (laboratory) and natural (vents, coastal run off) acidification show a less dense biomineral with greater porosity and a larger void space. For bivalves, CaCO3 crystal deposition is more chaotic in response to both ocean and coastal acidification. Biomechanics tests reveal that these changes result in weaker, more fragile skeletons, compromising their vital protective roles. Vulnerabilities differ among taxa and depend on acidification level. Climate warming has the potential to ameliorate some of the negative effects of acidification but may also make matters worse. The integrative morphology-ecomechanics approach is key to understanding how marine biominerals will perform in the face of changing climate.

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A triple trophic boost: How carbon emissions indirectly change a marine food chain

Cited by 23 publications

References 44 publications

Resistance of seagrass habitats to ocean acidification via altered interactions in a tri-trophic chain

Resistance of seagrass habitats to ocean acidification via altered interactions in a tri-trophic chain

Ocean acidification alters meiobenthic assemblage composition and organic matter degradation rates in seagrass sediments

The impact of environmental acidification on the microstructure and mechanical integrity of marine invertebrate skeletons

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