Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Castray Esplanade Hobart Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
Australia Antarctic Division, Antarctic Conservation and Management program, 203 Channel Hwy, Kingston, Tasmania, Australia.
Sci Rep. 2019 Feb 13;9(1):1890. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-36233-2.
Ocean acidification (OA) is predicted to alter benthic marine community structure and function, however, there is a paucity of field experiments in benthic soft sediment communities and ecosystems. Benthic diatoms are important components of Antarctic coastal ecosystems, however very little is known of how they will respond to ocean acidification. Ocean acidification conditions were maintained by incremental computer controlled addition of high fCO seawater representing OA conditions predicted for the year 2100. Respiration chambers and PAM fluorescence techniques were used to investigate acute behavioural, photosynthetic and net production responses of benthic microalgae communities to OA in in-situ field experiments. We demonstrate how OA can modify behavioural ecology, which changes photo-physiology and net production of benthic microalgae. Ocean acidification treatments significantly altered behavioural ecology, which in turn altered photo-physiology. The ecological trends presented here have the potential to manifest into significant ecological change over longer time periods.
海洋酸化预计会改变海底海洋生物群落的结构和功能，但在海底软沉积物群落和生态系统中，实地实验相对较少。底栖硅藻是南极沿海生态系统的重要组成部分，但对于它们将如何应对海洋酸化，我们知之甚少。通过逐步计算机控制添加高 fCO 的海水来维持海洋酸化条件，这代表了预计到 2100 年的海洋酸化条件。呼吸室和 PAM 荧光技术用于研究现场实验中底栖微藻群落对海洋酸化的急性行为、光合作用和净生产力的响应。我们展示了海洋酸化如何改变行为生态学，进而改变底栖微藻的光生理学和净生产力。海洋酸化处理显著改变了行为生态学，进而改变了光生理学。这里呈现的生态趋势有可能在更长的时间内演变成重大的生态变化。
