Ocean acidification does not affect the early life history development of a tropical marine fish

Munday, PL; Gagliano, M; Donelson, JM; Dixson, DL; Thorrold, SR

Ocean acidification does not affect the early life history development of a tropical marine fish

Munday, PL Gagliano, M Donelson, JM

Dixson, DL Thorrold, SR

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2011, 423 pp. 211 - 221
Issue Date:: 2011-02-21

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Munday, PL	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Gagliano, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Donelson, JM https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0039-5300	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Dixson, DL	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Thorrold, SR	en_US
dc.date.issued	2011-02-21	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2011, 423 pp. 211 - 221	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0171-8630	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/28256
dc.description.abstract	Determining which marine species are sensitive to elevated CO2 and reduced pH, and which species tolerate these changes, is critical for predicting the impacts of ocean acidification on marine biodiversity and ecosystem function. Although adult fish are thought to be relatively tolerant to higher levels of environmental CO2, very little is known about the sensitivity of juvenile stages, which are usually much more vulnerable to environmental change. We tested the effects of elevated environmental CO 2 on the growth, survival, skeletal development and otolith (ear bone) calcification of a common coral reef fish, the spiny damselfish Acanthochromis polyacanthus. Newly hatched juveniles were reared for 3 wk at 4 different levels of PCO2(seawater) spanning concentrations already experienced in near-reef waters (450 μatm CO2) to those predicted to occur over the next 50 to 100 yr in the IPCC A2 emission scenario (600, 725, 850 μatm CO2). Elevated PCO2 had no effect on juvenile growth or survival. Similarly, there was no consistent variation in the size of 29 different skeletal elements that could be attributed to CO2 treatments. Finally, otolith size, shape and symmetry (between left and right side of the body) were not affected by exposure to elevated PCO2, despite the fact that otoliths are composed of aragonite. This is the first comprehensive assessment of the likely effects of ocean acidification on the early life history development of a marine fish. Our results suggest that juvenile A. polyacanthus are tolerant of moderate increases in environmental CO2 and that further acidification of the ocean will not, in isolation, have a significant effect on the early life history development of this species, and perhaps other tropical reef fishes. © Inter-Research 2011.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Marine Ecology Progress Series	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.3354/meps08990	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Marine Biology & Hydrobiology	en_US
dc.title	Ocean acidification does not affect the early life history development of a tropical marine fish	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	423	en_US
utslib.for	0602 Ecology	en_US
utslib.for	0405 Oceanography	en_US
utslib.for	0608 Zoology	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	423	en_US

Abstract:

Determining which marine species are sensitive to elevated CO2 and reduced pH, and which species tolerate these changes, is critical for predicting the impacts of ocean acidification on marine biodiversity and ecosystem function. Although adult fish are thought to be relatively tolerant to higher levels of environmental CO2, very little is known about the sensitivity of juvenile stages, which are usually much more vulnerable to environmental change. We tested the effects of elevated environmental CO 2 on the growth, survival, skeletal development and otolith (ear bone) calcification of a common coral reef fish, the spiny damselfish Acanthochromis polyacanthus. Newly hatched juveniles were reared for 3 wk at 4 different levels of PCO2(seawater) spanning concentrations already experienced in near-reef waters (450 μatm CO2) to those predicted to occur over the next 50 to 100 yr in the IPCC A2 emission scenario (600, 725, 850 μatm CO2). Elevated PCO2 had no effect on juvenile growth or survival. Similarly, there was no consistent variation in the size of 29 different skeletal elements that could be attributed to CO2 treatments. Finally, otolith size, shape and symmetry (between left and right side of the body) were not affected by exposure to elevated PCO2, despite the fact that otoliths are composed of aragonite. This is the first comprehensive assessment of the likely effects of ocean acidification on the early life history development of a marine fish. Our results suggest that juvenile A. polyacanthus are tolerant of moderate increases in environmental CO2 and that further acidification of the ocean will not, in isolation, have a significant effect on the early life history development of this species, and perhaps other tropical reef fishes. © Inter-Research 2011.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/28256