Search results for "Ocean Acidification"
showing 10 items of 135 documents
Are control of extracellular acid-base balance and regulation of skeleton genes linked to resistance to ocean acidification in adult sea urchins?
2020
SCOPUS: ar.j
Effects of ocean acidification on rocky shore communities at Vulcano Island
2010
Seagrass response to high CO2 in volcanic vents
2012
Seagrass community metabolism in a Mediterranean volcanic vent
2012
Evidences on alterations in skeleton composition and mineralization in a site-attached fish under naturally acidified conditions in a shallow CO2 vent
2021
Abstract Background Ocean acidification may affect fish mineralized structures (i.e. otoliths and skeleton). Methods Here, we compared the elemental composition of muscle and skeleton and the mineral features of skeleton in the site-attached fish Gobius bucchichi naturally exposed to high pCO2/low pH conditions in a shallow CO2 vent with fish of the same species exposed to normal pH. Results Overall, no skeleton malformations were found in both pH conditions, but among-site differences were found in the elemental composition. Interestingly, higher Ca/P values, inducing a moderate skeleton maturation, were found in fish exposed to acidified conditions than in controls. Conclusion Our finding…
STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL RESPONSES OF FISH ASSEMBLAGES TO DIFFERENT DRIVERS OF CHANGE
Biotic and abiotic factors synergistically act on natural systems. As a result ecological communities adjust their structural and functional responses to persist in a given area. Worldwide, marine ecosystems have been changing through time with increasing anthropogenic pressure in the last centuries leading to only 13.2% of the total marine environments in a ‘pristine’ state. The consequences of direct and indirect anthropogenic pressures may have on marine organisms can largely differ, with both negative and positive effects of drivers of change of human origin. In the span of three years for my PhD thesis, I performed different experiments with the main goal of examining how direct or ind…
Ocean acidification bends the mermaid's wineglass
2015
Ocean acidification lowers the saturation state of calcium carbonate, decreasing net calcification and compromising the skeletons of organisms such as corals, molluscs and algae. These calcified structures can protect organisms from predation and improve access to light, nutrients and dispersive currents. While some species (such as urchins, corals and mussels) survive with decreased calcification, they can suffer from inferior mechanical performance. Here, we used cantilever beam theory to test the hypothesis that decreased calcification would impair the mechanical performance of the green alga Acetabularia acetabulum along a CO 2 gradient created by volcanic seeps off Vulcano, Italy. Cal…
Effects of Ocean Acidification on physiology, behaviour and ecology of fish
CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is increasing at unprecedented rate since the last 800,000 years due to rising fossil fuel combustion, industrial processes and land use by humans. By absorbing part of this gas from the atmosphere, Oceans contribute to the mitigation of climatic changes, but at the cost of greater modifications of their physical and chemical characteristics. CO2 dissolved in the seawater leads to increased bicarbonate (HCO3 -) and hydrogen ions (H+) concentrations with a consequent pH drop, a phenomenon known as Ocean Acidification (OA). If global policy will not put in force mitigation measures to reduce CO2 emissions, it is projected that partial pressure of dissolved …
Trace element bias in the use of CO2 vents as analogues for low pH environments: Implications for contamination levels in acidified oceans
2013
Abstract Research into the effects of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems has increasingly focused on natural CO 2 vents, although their intrinsic environmental complexity means observations from these areas may not relate exclusively to pH gradients. In order to assess trace element levels and distribution in the Levante Bay (Vulcano Island, NE Sicily, Italy) and its suitability for studying biological effects of pH decline, Ba, Fe and trace elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) in sediment were analysed from 7 transects. Where present, Cymodocea nodosa leaves and epiphytes were also analysed. At the spatial scale of the bay, trace element concentrations in sedim…
Effect of explosive shallow hydrothermal vents on δ13C and growth performance in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica
2010
1. Explosive volcanic submarine activity is expected to affect seagrass communities due to sudden and dramatic changes in the physical and chemical features of sea water and sediments, with possibly large ecosystem effects. However, seagrass response to the harsh environmental conditions that arise due to explosive volcanism is as yet unexplored as it is not easy to predict when and where an eruption will occur. Here, we investigate the uptake of hydrothermal carbon within the seagrass Posidonia oceanica by the analysis of d13C and growth rates in tissue laid down before and after an exceptional and massive hydrothermal gas release in the Aeolian Islands (Italy, Mediterranean Sea). 2. Hydro…