Figuerola Blanca, Capdevila Pol, Cerdà-Domènech Marc, Garrabou Joaquim, Mirasole Alice, Bassols Pol, Del Campo Javier, Teixidó Núria
Departament de Biologia Marina i Oceanografia, Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Pg. Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona, Spain.
Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain.
Commun Biol. 2025 Jul 31;8(1):1135. doi: 10.1038/s42003-025-08524-8.
Marine habitat-forming species provide crucial ecosystem functions and services worldwide. Still, the individual and combined long-term effects of ocean acidification and warming on bryozoan populations, structures, and microbiomes remain unexplored. Here, we investigate the skeletal properties, microbiome shifts, and population trends of two bryozoan species living inside and outside a volcanic CO vent, a natural analog to future ocean acidification conditions. We show that bryozoans can acclimatize to acidification by adjusting skeletal properties and maintaining stable microbiomes. However, we document a decrease in microbial genera playing essential functions under acidified conditions. Moreover, we show that ocean acidification exacerbates bryozoan cover loss and mortality caused by ocean warming. The observed shifts in the microbiome and cover suggest that, despite their morphological plasticity, bryozoan species will be heavily impacted by future ocean conditions, posing a threat to many benthic ecosystems in which they play a pivotal role.
形成海洋栖息地的物种在全球范围内提供着关键的生态系统功能和服务。然而，海洋酸化和变暖对苔藓虫种群、结构和微生物群落的长期单独及综合影响仍未得到探索。在此，我们研究了生活在火山二氧化碳喷口内外的两种苔藓虫物种的骨骼特性、微生物群落变化以及种群趋势，该喷口是未来海洋酸化条件的天然类似物。我们发现苔藓虫可以通过调整骨骼特性和维持稳定的微生物群落来适应酸化。然而，我们记录到在酸化条件下起关键作用的微生物属数量有所减少。此外，我们表明海洋酸化加剧了海洋变暖导致的苔藓虫覆盖面积减少和死亡。微生物群落和覆盖面积的观察变化表明，尽管苔藓虫物种具有形态可塑性，但它们将受到未来海洋条件的严重影响，这对许多它们起着关键作用的底栖生态系统构成威胁。
