Shelled Marine Life In Gulf Of Maine Changing Rapidly In Face Of Acidification

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Research by Justin Ries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his colleagues Anne Cohen and Daniel McCorkle at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has shown that shelled organisms exhibit different responses to increasingly acidic marine environments. Mollusks such as bay scallops, whelks, periwin-kles, oysters, conchs, quahogs and softshell clams build their shells more slowly as the amount of atmospheric CO2 increases. And in some cases, the shells of these organisms actually begin to dissolve away, rendering them virtually defenseless to the crushing claws and jaws of their predators.

Furthermore, Ries showed that some of the organisms lose more than just their shell strength as seawater becomes more acidic. Under high CO2 conditions, quahog shells had fewer ridges, conch shells had smaller knobs and the spines of pencil urchins became truncated. These organisms are thought to have evolved their ridges, knobs and spines for burrowing, stability and motility, respectively. Without them, these animals would be even more vulnerable to predators.

Meanwhile, Ries’ research also showed that the American lobster, the blue crab and the gulf shrimp actually increased the rate at which they build their shells as seawater becomes more acidic.

At first glance, these findings suggest that although ocean acidification is clearly bad for most prey species (such as quahogs, bay scallops and softshell clams), it may turn out to be good for predators such as the American lobster. Take another look. With thinner shells, mollusks may become more accessible to alternative predators such as fish and rays. Lobsters, therefore, may face increased competition for food even as their food gets easier to eat. This combination of increased competition and overpredation of the weakened prey species may ultimately leave lobsters hungry.

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http://www.bangordailynews.com/story/Opinion/Gulf-of-Maine-changing,150853