Seagrass ecosystem response to long-term high CO2 in a Mediterranean volcanic vent ...

• Main Authors: Apostolaki, Eugenia T, Vizzini, Salvatrice, Hendriks, Iris, Olsen, Ylva
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2014
• Subjects: Benthos; Biomass/Abundance/Elemental composition; CO2 vent; Coast and continental shelf; Cymodocea nodosa; Entire community; Field observation; Mediterranean Sea; Primary production/Photosynthesis; Respiration; Soft-bottom community; Temperate; Species; Group; Treatment; Shoot density; Shoot density, standard error; Biomass; Biomass, standard error; Carbon; Carbon, standard error; δ13C; δ13C, standard error; Chlorophyll a; Chlorophyll a, standard error; Epiphytes, load; Epiphytes load, standard error; Calcium carbonate; Calcium carbonate, standard error; Maximum photochemical quantum yield of photosystem II; Maximum photochemical quantum yield of photosystem II, standard error; Electron transport rate; Electron transport rate, standard error; Light saturation point; Light saturation point, standard error; Photosynthetic quantum efficiency; Photosynthetic quantum efficiency, standard error; Irradiance; Irradiance, standard error; Net community production of carbon; Net community production of carbon, standard error; Respiration rate, carbon; Respiration rate, carbon, standard error; Gross primary production of carbon; Gross primary production of carbon, standard error; Illuminance; Illuminance, standard error; Salinity; Temperature, water; Temperature, water, standard error; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.833844; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.833844

We examined the long-term effect of naturally acidified water on a Cymodocea nodosa meadow growing at a shallow volcanic CO2 vent in Vulcano Island (Italy). Seagrass and adjacent unvegetated habitats growing at a low pH station (pH = 7.65 ± 0.02) were compared with corresponding habitats at a control station (pH = 8.01 ± 0.01). Density and biomass showed a clear decreasing trend at the low pH station and the below- to above-ground biomass ratio was more than 10 times lower compared to the control. C content and delta 13C of leaves and epiphytes were significantly lower at the low pH station. Photosynthetic activity of C. nodosa was stimulated by low pH as seen by the significant increase in Chla content of leaves, maximum electron transport rate and compensation irradiance. Seagrass community metabolism was intense at the low pH station, with significantly higher net community production, respiration and gross primary production than the control community, whereas metabolism of the unvegetated community did ... : In order to allow full comparability with other ocean acidification data sets, the R package seacarb (Lavigne et al, 2014) 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). The date of carbonate chemistry calculation is 2014-07-07. ...