Seawater carbonate chemistry and Gadus morhua length, weight and sperm biological processes, 2010

• Main Authors: Frommel, Andrea Y, Stiebens, V, Clemmesen, Catriona, Havenhand, Jonathan N
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2010
• Subjects: Alkalinity; total; Animalia; Aragonite saturation state; Baltic Sea; Bicarbonate ion; BIOACID; Biological Impacts of Ocean Acidification; Bottles or small containers/Aquaria (<20 L); Calcite saturation state; Calculated using CO2SYS; Calculated using seacarb after Nisumaa et al. (2010); Carbon; inorganic; dissolved; Carbonate ion; Carbonate system computation flag; Carbon dioxide; Chordata; Coast and continental shelf; EPOCA; EUR-OCEANS; European network of excellence for Ocean Ecosystems Analysis; European Project on Ocean Acidification; Experimental treatment; Fugacity of carbon dioxide (water) at sea surface temperature (wet air); Gadus morhua; mass; sperm; motile; swimming speed; standard length; Growth/Morphology; Identification; Laboratory experiment; Measured; Nekton; OA-ICC; Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre; Partial pressure of carbon dioxide (water) at sea surface temperature (wet air); Pelagos; pH; Reproduction; Salinity; Single species; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.758632; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.758632

Ocean acidification, as a consequence of increasing marine pCO2, may have severe effects on the physiology of marine organisms. However, experimental studies remain scarce, in particular concerning fish. While adults will most likely remain relatively unaffected by changes in seawater pH, early life-history stages are potentially more sensitive - particularly the critical stage of fertilization, in which sperm motility plays a central role. In this study, the effects of ocean acidification (decrease of pHT to 7.55) on sperm motility of Baltic cod, Gadus morhua, were assessed. We found no significant effect of decreased pH on sperm speed, rate of change of direction or percent motility for the population of cod analyzed. We predict that future ocean acidification will probably not pose a problem for sperm behavior, and hence fertilization success, of Baltic cod.