Calcification rates of the blue mussel and the Pacific oyster decline with increasing ocean acidification. Mussel and oyster calcification may decrease by 25 percent and 10 percent, respectively, by the end of the century. (Laboratory study)

The effects of ocean acidification on the growth and shell production by juvenile and adult shelled molluscs are variable among species and even within the same species, precluding the drawing of a general picture. This is, however, not the case for pteropods, with all species tested so far, being negatively ...

Ocean acidification caused Eastern oysters and hard shell clams to accumulate more metal pollutants, which affected their physiology. (Laboratory study)

Ocean acidification increased the negative effects of cadmium pollution on the immune systems of quahogs and eastern oysters, potentially making them more vulnerable to pathogens and disease. (Laboratory study)

When quahogs and eastern oysters were exposed to a combination of warmer temperatures and ocean acidification for 15 weeks, shell hardness decreased in both species. By itself, ocean acidification had a small effect on the physiology and metabolism of both species, but it improved survival in oysters. (Laboratory study)

Juvenile oysters living in acidified seawater had higher mortality rates and less growth of shell and soft-body tissues. They also had higher metabolic rates, likely because of the higher energy cost of maintaining their body chemistry. The high-CO2 conditions also reduced the hardness and fracture toughness of the shells. (Laboratory ...

When juvenile oysters were exposed to ocean acidification and/or low salinity, they had greater mortality, less energy stored in their tissues, and loss of soft tissue indicating energy deficiency. Ocean acidification and low salinity also reduced the hardness and fracture resistance of their shells. (Laboratory study)

Ocean acidification results in co-varying inorganic carbon system variables. Of these, an explicit focus on pH and organismal acid–base regulation has failed to distinguish the mechanism of failure in highly sensitive bivalve larvae. With unique chemical manipulations of seawater we show definitively that larval shell development and growth are dependent ...

Ocean acidification is a global, long-term problem whose ultimate solution requires carbon dioxide reduction at a scope and scale that will take decades to accomplish successfully. Until that is achieved, feasible and locally relevant adaptation and mitigation measures are needed. To help to prioritize societal responses to ocean acidification, we ...

We present experiments that examined the metamorphosis, growth, and survivorship of larvae from three species of commercially and ecologically valuable shellfish (Mercenaria mercenaria, Argopecten irradians, and Crassostrea virginica) at the levels of CO2 projected to occur during the 21st century and beyond. Under CO2 concentrations estimated to occur later this century (~66 Pa, 650 ...