Helena Filipsson
Professor
Decalcification and survival of benthic foraminifera under the combined impacts of varying pH and salinity
Författare
Summary, in English
Coastal areas display natural large environmental variability such as frequent changes in salinity, pH, and carbonate chemistry. Anthropogenic impacts – especially ocean acidification – increase this variability, which may affect the living conditions of coastal species, particularly, calcifiers. We performed culture experiments on living benthic foraminifera to study the combined effects of lowered pH and salinity on the calcification abilities and survival of the coastal, calcitic species Ammonia sp. and Elphidium crispum. We found that in open ocean conditions (salinity ∼35) and lower pH than usual values for these species, the specimens displayed resistance to shell (test) dissolution for a longer time than in brackish conditions (salinity ∼5 to 20). However, the response was species specific as Ammonia sp. specimens survived longer than E. crispum specimens when placed in the same conditions of salinity and pH. Living, decalcified juveniles of Ammonia sp. were observed and we show that desalination is one cause for the decalcification. Finally, we highlight the ability of foraminifera to survive under Ωcalc < 1, and that high salinity and [Ca2+] as building blocks are crucial for the foraminiferal calcification process.
Avdelning/ar
- Kvartärgeologi
- Miljövetenskap
- Division aquatic ecology
- Akvatisk ekologi
Publiceringsår
2018-04-03
Språk
Engelska
Sidor
36-45
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Marine Environmental Research
Volym
138
Länkar
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
Elsevier
Ämne
- Ecology
- Environmental Sciences
Nyckelord
- Benthic foraminifera
- Calcification process
- Coastal ocean acidification
- Culture experiment
- Desalination
- Multiple stressors
Aktiv
Published
Projekt
- Drivers and Impacts of Coastal Ocean Acidification
Forskningsgrupp
- Aquatic Ecology
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 0141-1136