Globally, the frequency of harmful algal blooms is increasing and CO 2 concentrations are rising. These factors represent serious challenges to a multitude of estuarine organisms as well as to efforts to restore depleted stocks of filter-feeding bivalves. In this study, we compared the responses of larval bivalves Crassostrea virginica and Argopecten irradians to the brown tide alga Aureococcus anophagefferens (250 × 10 6 cells l −1 and 1 × 10 9 cells l −1, respectively) and a gradient of CO 2 concentrations (~240, ~390, and ~850 ppm). Results indicated that A. anophagefferens and higher levels of CO 2 significantly depressed rates of survival, development, growth, and lipid synthesis of A. irradians larvae with the combination of both factors having the largest effects. C. virginica larvae were also negatively impacted by the harmful alga and elevated CO 2 , but displayed a higher overall survival rate when exposed to these combined stressors. For both species, high densities of A. anophagefferens (10 9 cells l −1) elicited a stronger negative effect on larval survival than high levels of CO 2 concentrations (~850 ppm). Collectively, these results demonstrate that the concurrent occurrence of harmful algal blooms and high CO 2 concentrations will have negative consequences for bivalve populations and further demonstrate that some species of larval bivalves are more resistant to these stressors than others.
KEY WORDS: Bivalves · Carbon dioxide · Harmful algal bloom · Brown tide · Ocean acidification · Larvae · Shellfish · Crassostrea virginica · Argopecten irradians
Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 464: [121][122][123][124][125][126][127][128][129][130][131][132][133][134] 2012 bivalves can play an important role in sustaining adult populations (Caley et al. 1996, Gosse lin & Qian 1997, Schneider et al. 2003, Arnold 2008. HAB-forming dinoflagellates have been shown to cause mortality in multiple species of bi valve larvae, including eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica (Springer et al. 2002, Leverone et al. 2006, Stoecker et al. 2008, Tang & Gobler 2009, northern quahogs Mercenaria mercenaria (Leverone et al. 2006, Tang & Gobler 2009, bay scallops Argopecten irradians irradians and A. i. concentricus (Springer et al. 2002, Yan et al. 2003, Leverone et al. 2006, Tang & Gobler 2009, and Japanese scallops Chlamys farreri (Yan et al. 2001). In addition, the brown tide-forming pelagophyte Aureococcus ano pha gefferens has been shown to reduce survival, growth, and lipid content of northern quahog larvae (Padilla et al. 2006, Bricelj & MacQuarrie 2007 and can slow the growth of larval bay scallops (Gallager et al. 1989).Elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) are also a significant threat to coastal bivalve populations. CO 2 levels have risen by 40% since the industrial revolution (Caldeira & Wickett 2003), and the rate of increase has tripled since the mid-20th century (Fussel 2009, Friedlingstein et al. 2010. These increases may ...