Effects of ocean acidification caused by rising CO2 on the early development of three mollusks

Abstract

Increasing atmospheric CO 2 can decrease seawater pH and carbonate ions, which may adversely affect the larval survival of calcareous animals. In this study, we simulated future atmospheric CO 2 concentrations (800, 1500, 2000 and 3000 ppm) and examined the effects of ocean acidification on the early development of 3 mollusks (the abalones Haliotis diversicolor and H. discus hannai and the oyster Crassostrea angulata). We showed that fertilization rate, hatching rate, larval shell length, trochophore development, veliger survival and metamorphosis all decreased significantly at different pCO 2 levels (except oyster hatching). H. discus hannai were more tolerant of high CO 2 compared to H. diversicolor. At 2000 ppm CO 2 , 79.2% of H. discus hannai veliger larvae developed normally, but only 13.3% of H. diversicolor veliger larvae. Tolerance of C. angulata to ocean acidification was greater than the 2 abalone species; 50.5% of its D-larvae developed normally at 3000 ppm CO 2 . This apparent resistance of C. angulata to ocean acidification may be attributed to their adaptability to estuarine environments. Mechanisms underlying the resistance to ocean acidification of both abalones requires further investigation. Our results suggest that ocean acidification may decrease the yield of these 3 economically important shellfish if increasing CO 2 is a future trend.

Life cycle and early development of the thecosomatous pteropod Limacina retroversa in the Gulf of Maine, including the effect of elevated CO2 levels

“…Beyond influencing survival, OA has been shown to affect the duration of development in many molluscan species (Timmins-Schiffman et al 2013;Onitsuka et al 2014;Guo et al 2015). Our results indicate a developmental delay when comparing the high treatment relative to the ambient treatment.…”

Effects of carbon dioxide on juveniles of the freshwater mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea [Unionidae])

“…Overall, these studies indicate that some species of unionids can survive episodes of low pH, produced by elevated CO 2 , for several weeks but not without shell damage or adverse effects on growth. Others have demonstrated a correlation of growth rate with PCO 2 in marine bivalves though responses varied among species and life stage [18,23,50,52]. Shell formation demands energy for ion transport and synthesis of organic components.…”

“…Chronic exposure to increased CO 2 reportedly affects tissue growth [18,19], shell formation and structure [19][20][21], metabolic rate [18,22], and early development [19,23] of several mussel and oyster species. Chronic exposure to increased CO 2 reportedly affects tissue growth [18,19], shell formation and structure [19][20][21], metabolic rate [18,22], and early development [19,23] of several mussel and oyster species.…”

Effects of acidification on the proteome during early development of Babylonia areolata

“…Mass flow of CO 2 and air was measured by two mass flow sensors and was set to the desired level of CO 2 results in a CO 2 concentration of 800 ppm by adjusting the needle valves. The pCO 2 manipulation and measurement system were performed as previously described in the literature (see our previous study ). The method is described as follows (see Fig S1): both CO 2 and air were homogenized at the bottom of a plastic container to generate CO 2 ‐enriched air with different CO 2 concentrations.…”