Responses of the temperate calcareous sponge Grantia sp. to ocean acidification

• Published in: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
• Main Authors: McCullough, Alice, Strano, Francesca, Micaroni, Valerio, Woods, Lisa, Bell, James J.
• Other Authors: Victoria University of Wellington
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2024
• Subjects: New Zealand; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0025315424000419; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0025315424000419

Abstract Sponges are important components of marine systems globally, and while sponges have generally been shown to tolerate ocean acidification (OA), most earlier studies have focused on demosponges with siliceous skeletons. In contrast, little is known of how calcareous sponges, with calcite or aragonite skeletons, may react to OA conditions. Here we measured tissue necrosis and respiration rate of the temperate New Zealand calcareous sponge Grantia sp. to simulated OA. Our treatment conditions were based on the IPCC RCP8.5 ( p CO 2 1131.9 ± 113 μ atm) scenario over a 28 day experiment, and responses were compared to current day control conditions ( p CO 2 512.59 ± 23 μ atm). Sponge respiration rate was not significantly different between the control and treatment sponges and there was no evidence of tissue necrosis over the course of the experiment. Overall, our study is consistent with earlier studies on demosponges, showing calcareous sponges to be resilient to OA.