Growth and photosynthetic efficiency of a coralline alga decreased under high CO2 levels. These changes could affect the alga's ability to compete with other macroalgae (seaweeds). (Laboratory study)

Corals collected in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, exhibited a complex set of responses when exposed to ocean acidification conditions, different nutrient levels, and two different temperatures. For example, female corals were more sensitive than males to elevated CO2 levels. Considering gender and spawning may be important when considering how populations of ...

Based on experiments with corals collected in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, this paper presents a conceptual model of how changes in nutrients and ocean acidification may interact to produce the range of effects that have been observed in different coral studies. (Laboratory study)

In green sea urchins from the Baltic Sea, the spines appear to be vulnerable to ocean acidification, which might reduce the urchins' protection against predators. Intestinal epithelia may play a role in mediating acid-base balance in the urchin. (Laboratory study)

Experiments with blue mussels from the Baltic Sea revealed a molecular basis of observed changes in physiology in response to ocean acidification. (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)

Experiments with quahogs exposed to trace metal pollutants under ocean acidification conditions revealed complex interactions and indicated that variations in environmental CO2 may modulate the biological effects of trace metals. (Laboratory study)

When exposed to ocean acidification conditions (pH 7.7) for 80 days, coralline algae survived by increasing their calcification rates. However, those algae for which the pH had been dropped rapidly, rather than slowly and gradually, exhibited weaknesses in their calcite skeletons. (Laboratory study)

Sea stars collected in Nova Scotia, Canada, grew more slowly under ocean acidification conditions, and their growth rate decreased further with a warmer temperature. In contrast, blue mussel grew more quickly with no response to temperature within the tested range. Predation of sea stars on mussels, measured as per-capita consumption ...