Biological impacts of enhanced alkalinity in Carcinus maenas

• Main Authors: Cripps, Gemma, Widdicombe, Stephen, Spicer, John I, Findlay, Helen S
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2013
• Subjects: Acid-base regulation; Alkalinity; total; Animalia; Aragonite saturation state; Arthropoda; Benthic animals; Benthos; Bicarbonate ion; Bottles or small containers/Aquaria (<20 L); Calcite saturation state; Calcium hydroxide; Calcium ion; standard deviation; Calculated using CO2SYS; Calculated using seacarb after Nisumaa et al. (2010); Carbon; inorganic; dissolved; Carbonate ion; Carbonate system computation flag; Carbon dioxide; Carcinus maenas; Coast and continental shelf; EXP; Experiment; Fugacity of carbon dioxide (water) at sea surface temperature (wet air); Haemolymph; partial pressure of carbon dioxide; pH; potassium ion; total carbon dioxide; Identification; Laboratory experiment; Magnesium ion; Mountbatten_Plymouth_Devon; North Atlantic; OA-ICC; Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre; Osmolality; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.829880; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.829880

Further steps are needed to establish feasible alleviation strategies that are able to reduce the impacts of ocean acidification, whilst ensuring minimal biological side-effects in the process. Whilst there is a growing body of literature on the biological impacts of many other carbon dioxide reduction techniques, seemingly little is known about enhanced alkalinity. For this reason, we investigated the potential physiological impacts of using chemical sequestration as an alleviation strategy. In a controlled experiment, Carcinus maenas were acutely exposed to concentrations of Ca(OH)2 that would be required to reverse the decline in ocean surface pH and return it to pre-industrial levels. Acute exposure significantly affected all individuals' acid-base balance resulting in slight respiratory alkalosis and hyperkalemia, which was strongest in mature females. Although the trigger for both of these responses is currently unclear, this study has shown that alkalinity addition does alter acid-base balance in this comparatively robust crustacean species.