Upper environmental pCO2 drives sensitivity to ocean acidification in marine invertebrates

The authors link the effects of pCO(2) on marine invertebrates to the localized pCO(2) conditions of their coastal habitats. They show that responses depend on the deviation from the locally experienced upper pCO(2) level, highlighting the importance of small-scale variability and adaptation. Minimizing the impact of ocean acidification requires an understanding of species responses and environmental variability of population habitats. Whereas the literature is growing rapidly, emerging results suggest unresolved species- or population-specific responses. Here we present a meta-analysis synthesizing experimental studies examining the effects of pCO(2) on biological traits in marine invertebrates. At the sampling locations of experimental animals, we determined environmental pCO(2) conditions by integrating data from global databases and pCO(2) measurements from buoys. Experimental pCO(2) scenarios were compared with upper pCO(2) using an index considering the upper environmental pCO(2). For most taxa, a statistically significant negative linear relationship was observed between this index and mean biological responses, indicating that the impact of a given experimental pCO(2) scenario depends on the deviation from the upper pCO(2) level experienced by local populations. Our results highlight the importance of local biological adaptation and the need to consider present pCO(2) natural variability while interpreting experimental results.

Automated summary

The authors link the effects of pCO(2) on marine invertebrates to their localized coastal habitats. They emphasize the importance of small-scale variability and adaptation. The study found that the impact of a given pCO(2) scenario depends on the deviation from the upper pCO(2) level experienced by local populations, highlighting the need to consider local adaptation and natural variability.