Marine mollusc predator-escape behaviour altered by near-future carbon dioxide levels

• Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
• Main Authors: Watson, Sue-Ann, Lefevre, Sjannie, McCormick, Mark I., Domenici, Paolo, Nilsson, Göran E., Munday, Philip L.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Royal Society Publishing 2014
• Subjects: Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/32086/1/Watson%20et%20al%202014%20Proceedings%20B.pdf

Ocean acidification poses a range of threats to marine invertebrates; however, the potential effects of rising carbon dioxide (CO2) on marine invertebrate behaviour are largely unknown. Marine gastropod conch snails have a modified foot and operculum allowing them to leap backwards rapidly when faced with a predator, such as a venomous cone shell. Here, we show that projected near-future seawater CO2 levels (961 µatm) impair this escape behaviour during a predator–prey interaction. Elevated-CO2 halved the number of snails that jumped from the predator, increased their latency to jump and altered their escape trajectory. Physical ability to jump was not affected by elevated-CO2 indicating instead that decision-making was impaired. Antipredator behaviour was fully restored by treatment with gabazine, a GABA antagonist of some invertebrate nervous systems, indicating potential interference of neurotransmitter receptor function by elevated-CO2, as previously observed in marine fishes. Altered behaviour of marine invertebrates at projected future CO2 levels could have potentially far-reaching implications for marine ecosystems.