Seawater carbonate chemistry and fish Amphiprion percula behaviour during experiments, 2012, supplement to: Nilsson, Göran E; Dixson, Danielle L; Domenici, Paolo; McCormick, Mark I; Sorensen, Christina; Watson, Sue-Ann; Munday, Philip L (2012): Near-future carbon dioxide levels alter fish behaviour by interfering with neurotransmitter function. Nature Climate Change, 2, 201-204

• Main Authors: Nilsson, Göran E, Dixson, Danielle L, Domenici, Paolo, McCormick, Mark I, Sorensen, Christina, Watson, Sue-Ann, Munday, Philip L
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA - Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science 2012
• Subjects: Amphiprion percula; Animalia; Behaviour; Chordata; Coast and continental shelf; Containers and aquaria 20-1000 L or < 1 m**2; Laboratory experiment; Nekton; Pelagos; Single species; South Pacific; Temperate; Comment; Identification; Experimental treatment; Proportion of time in predator cue; Proportion of time in predator cue, standard error; Neopomacentrus azysron, absolute lateralization index; Neopomacentrus azysron, absolute lateralization index, standard error of mean; Replicates; pH; pH, standard deviation; Temperature, water; Salinity; Alkalinity, total; Alkalinity, total, standard deviation; Partial pressure of carbon dioxide water at sea surface temperature wet air; Carbon dioxide, partial pressure, standard deviation; Carbonate system computation flag; Carbon dioxide; Fugacity of carbon dioxide water at sea surface temperature wet air; Bicarbonate ion; Carbonate ion; Carbon, inorganic, dissolved; Aragonite saturation state; Calcite saturation state; see references; Measured; Alkalinity, Gran titration Gran, 1950; Calculated using CO2SYS; Calculated using seacarb after Nisumaa et al. 2010; European network of excellence for Ocean Ecosystems Analysis EUR-OCEANS; European Project on Ocean Acidification EPOCA; Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre OA-ICC; McCormick; Pacific; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.777447; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.777447

Predicted future CO2 levels have been found to alter sensory responses and behaviour of marine fishes. Changes include increased boldness and activity, loss of behavioural lateralization, altered auditory preferences and impaired olfactory function. Impaired olfactory function makes larval fish attracted to odours they normally avoid, including ones from predators and unfavourable habitats. These behavioural alterations have significant effects on mortality that may have far-reaching implications for population replenishment, community structure and ecosystem function. However, the underlying mechanism linking high CO2 to these diverse responses has been unknown. Here we show that abnormal olfactory preferences and loss of behavioural lateralization exhibited by two species of larval coral reef fish exposed to high CO2 can be rapidly and effectively reversed by treatment with an antagonist of the GABA-A receptor. GABA-A is a major neurotransmitter receptor in the vertebrate brain. Thus, our results indicate that high CO2 interferes with neurotransmitter function, a hitherto unrecognized threat to marine populations and ecosystems. Given the ubiquity and conserved function of GABA-A receptors, we predict that rising CO2 levels could cause sensory and behavioural impairment in a wide range of marine species, especially those that tightly control their acid-base balance through regulatory changes in HCO3 and Cl levels. : In order to allow full comparability with other ocean acidification data sets, the R package seacarb (Lavigne and Gattuso, 2011) was used to compute a complete and consistent set of carbonate system variables, as described by Nisumaa et al. (2010). In this dataset the original values were archived in addition with the recalculated parameters (see related PI).