Evidence for an effective defence against ocean acidification in the key bioindicator pteropod Limacina helicina

Abstract The pteropod Limacina helicina has become an important bioindicator species for the negative impacts of ocean acidification (OA) on marine ecosystems. However, pteropods diversified during earlier high CO2 periods in Earth history and currently inhabit regions that are naturally corrosive t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ICES Journal of Marine Science
Main Authors: Miller, M R, Oakes, R L, Covert, P A, Ianson, D, Dower, J F
Other Authors: Browman, Howard, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2023
Subjects:
Limacina helicina
Ocean acidification
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsad059
https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article-pdf/80/5/1329/50737369/fsad059.pdf
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Summary:Abstract The pteropod Limacina helicina has become an important bioindicator species for the negative impacts of ocean acidification (OA) on marine ecosystems. However, pteropods diversified during earlier high CO2 periods in Earth history and currently inhabit regions that are naturally corrosive to their shells, suggesting that they possess mechanisms to survive unfavourable conditions. Recent work, which is still under considerable debate, has proposed that the periostracum, a thin organic coating on the outer shell, protects pteropods from shell dissolution. Here, we provide direct evidence that shows that damage to the L. helicina periostracum results in dissolution of the underlying shell when exposed to corrosive water for ∼8 d, while an intact periostracum protects the shell from dissolution under the same conditions. This important first line of defence suggests that pteropods are more resistant to OA-induced shell dissolution than is generally accepted.

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