OA Lecture 2- Jasmine

Question 1

Give examples of how OA may affect marine organism physiology

Answer 1

• metabolic rate + thus calcification
• reduction in biological sound overall
• impairment of foraging behavior
• impact on species behavior

Question 2

Describe how OA can affect organism behaviour

Answer 2

clownfish: Kin Vs Non-kin; predator vs non-predator cues
hermit crab: choice of optimal new shell
cardinal fish: home vs non-home site
FORAGING- lowered activity in oyster and mud crabs
Altered behavior in marine consumers (e.g., predator avoidance, predation inhibition) may weaken predator-prey links in marine food webs, causing cascading effects on community structure and function

Question 3

Consider the ecological applicability of current understanding- what has been done and what is needed?
In terms of OA

Answer 3

Organisms experience dynamic environmental conditions
High variability in responses in short-term experiments
More long-term experiments are needed
OA is not an isolated phenomenon but is occurring at the same time as changes in temperature, deoxygenation, eutrophication, habitat destruction….
Focus is still on a limited set of taxa

Question 4

What type of experiments investigate OA in organisms

Answer 4

Manipulative experiments are extremely valuable, but more natural observations are needed.

Question 5

which key idea should be considered in OA

Answer 5

Organism responses are species-specific, but particularly calcareous species are more likely to be negatively affected

Question 6

what is the key aim of OA study since 2005?

Answer 6

Since 2005 understanding the physiological, behavioural, ecological and ecosystem impacts of ocean acidification top of the political agenda.