0000000000063936
AUTHOR
Michael Cunliffe
Intertidal epilithic bacteria diversity changes along a naturally occurring carbon dioxide and pH gradient.
Intertidal epilithic bacteria communities are important components of coastal ecosystems, yet few studies have assessed their diversity and how it may be affected by changing environmental parameters. Submarine CO2 seeps produce localised areas of CO2-enriched seawater with reduced pH levels. We utilised the seawater pH/CO2 gradient at Levante Bay (Italy) to test the hypothesis that epilithic bacteria communities are modified by exposure to seawater with the varying chemical parameters. Biofilms were sampled from three sites exposed to seawater with different pH/CO2 levels and diversity determined using high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Seawater pCO2 concentrations were increase…
Warming and acidification effects on biofilm/grazer interaction in an early-stage rocky intertidal community
Anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are increasing greenhouse effects and changing seawater carbonate chemistry, leading to ocean warming and acidification. Increasing temperature and decreasing seawater pH can potentially interact to cause changes in species interactions and community shifts. To understand how ocean warming and acidification may affect the early stages of an intertidal community in the Mediterranean, we set up an in situ experiment and assessed potential changes in grazer density andbiofilm composition by manipulating temperature on bare rock plots (10x10cm)in two locations along a natural coastal CO2 gradient (Low pH: 7.8 pH, and Ambient:8.1 pH) off Vulcano Islan…