Biochemical responses of the copepod Centropages tenuiremis to CO2-driven acidified seawater

An ecophysiological experiment was conducted to examine the biochemical effects of acidified seawater containing elevated concentration of CO2 (C-CO2 0.08, 0.20, 0.50 and 1.00%) on the copepod Centropages tenuiremis. AchE, ATPase, SOD, GPx, GST, GSH level and GSH/GSSG ratio of the copepod were analyzed. The results showed that elevated C-CO2 and the duration of culture time significantly influenced several biochemical indices in C. tenuiremis (ATPase, GPx, GST, GSH and SOD). Furthermore, the principal component analysis results indicated that 72.32% of the overall variance was explained by the first three principal components (GPx, SOD and GSH). Changes in GPx and GSH levels may play a significant role in the antioxidant defense of copepods against seawater acidification. The long-term response of copepods to seawater acidification and the synergistic effects of acidification with other environmental factors, such as temperature, salinity and trace metal need further investigation.