Copepod vital rates under CO2-induced acidification: A calanoid species and a cyclopoid species under short-term exposures

Stamatina Isari*, Soultana Zervoudaki, Enric Saiz, Carles Pelejero, Janna Peters

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although copepods have been considered tolerant against the direct influence of the ocean acidification (OA) projected for the end of the century, some recent studies have challenged this view. Here, we have examined the direct impact of short-term exposure to a pCO2/pH level relevant for the year 2100 (pHNBS, control: 8.18, low pH: 7.78), on the physiological performance of two representative marine copepods: the calanoid Acartia grani and the cyclopoid Oithona davisae. Adults of both species, from laboratory cultures, were preconditioned for four consecutive days in algal suspensions (Akashiwo sanguinea) prepared with filtered sea water pre-adjusted to the targeted pH values via CO2bubbling. We measured the feeding and respiratory activity and reproductive output of those pre-conditioned females. The largely unaffected fatty acid composition of the prey offered between OA treatments and controls supports the absence in the study of indirect OA effects (i.e. changes of food nutritional quality). Our results show no direct effect of acidification on the vital rates examined in either copepod species. Our findings are compared with results from previous short-and long-term manipulative experiments on other copepod species.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)912-922
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Plankton Research
Volume37
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2015

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 The Author.

Keywords

  • acidification
  • feeding
  • marine copepods
  • reproduction
  • respiration

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Aquatic Science
  • Ecology

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