Understanding larval bivalve responses to variable regimes of seawater carbonate chemistry requires realistic quantification of physiological stress. Based on a degree-day modeling approach, we developed a new metric, the ocean acidification stress index for shellfish (OASIS), for this purpose. OASIS integrates over the entire larval period the instantaneous stress associated...
Ocean acidification (OA) has had significant negative effects on oyster populations on the west coast of North America over the past decade. Many studies have focused on the physiological challenges experienced by young oyster larvae in high pCO₂/low pH seawater with reduced aragonite saturation state (Ωarag), which is characteristic of...
Disease, overharvesting, and pollution have impaired the role of bivalves on coastal ecosystems, some to the point of functional extinction. An underappreciated function of many bivalves in these systems is shell formation. The ecological significance of bivalve shell has been recognized; geochemical effects are now more clearly being understood. A...
Oyster shell is a crucial component of healthy oyster reefs. Shell planting has been a main component of oyster restoration efforts in many habitats and has been carried out on scales from individual and grassroots efforts to multiagency efforts across entire estuaries. However, the cycling and lifetime of the shell...
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In the mid-2000s the U.S. west coast oyster industry experienced several years of significant production failures. This industry has been referred to as the “canary in a coal mine” for ocean acidification (OA). Industry-led collaboration with university and government scientists identified a relationship between elevated carbon dioxide in seawater and...
Acidified waters are impacting commercial oyster
production in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, and favorable
carbonate chemistry conditions are predicted to become
less frequent. Within 48 h of fertilization, unshelled Pacific
oyster (Crassostrea gigas) larvae precipitate roughly 90% of
their body weight as calcium carbonate. We measured stable
carbon isotopes in...
Anthropogenic modification watersheds and climate change have altered export from fluvial systems causing changes to the carbonate chemistry of river-influenced near shore environments. To determine the possible effects of riverine discharges on the mussel Perumytilus purpuratus, we performed in situ transplant experiments between river-influenced and open coastal habitats with contrasting...
Ocean acidification results in co-varying inorganic carbon system variables. Of these, an explicit focus on pH and organismal acid-base regulation in has failed to distinguish the mechanism of failure in highly sensitive bivalve larvae. With unique chemical manipulations of seawater we show definitively that larval bivalve shell development and growth...
Ocean acidification (OA) is altering the chemistry of the world’s oceans at rates unparalleled in the past roughly 1 million years. Understanding the impacts of this rapid change in baseline carbonate chemistry on marine organisms needs a precise, mechanistic understanding of physiological responses to carbonate chemistry. Recent experimental work has...