Experiment: Physiological responses of the calcifying rhodophyte, Corallina officinalis (L.), to future CO2 levels

• Main Authors: Hofmann, Laurie C, Yildiz, Gamse, Hanelt, D, Bischof, Kai
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2012
• Subjects: Alkalinity; total; Aragonite saturation state; Benthos; Bicarbonate ion; BIOACID; Biological Impacts of Ocean Acidification; Calcification/Dissolution; Calcified area; Calcite saturation state; Calculated using seacarb after Nisumaa et al. (2010); Carbon; inorganic; dissolved; Carbonate ion; Carbonate system computation flag; Carbon dioxide; Carbonic anhydrase; activity; Coast and continental shelf; Containers and aquaria (20-1000 L or < 1 m**2); Corallina officinalis; Date; Electron transport rate; Fluorescence; maximum; without dark adaptation; minimum; yield at any given time; Fugacity of carbon dioxide (water) at sea surface temperature (wet air); Gross oxygen evolution; per chlorophyll a; Group; Growth/Morphology; Growth rate; Incubation duration; Inorganic matter; Irradiance; Laboratory experiment; Macroalgae; Maximum photochemical quantum yield of photosystem II; Net oxygen evolution; Non photochemical quenching; North Atlantic; OA-ICC; Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.830128; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.830128

Future atmospheric CO2 levels will most likely have complex consequences for marine organisms, particulary photosynthetic calcifying organisms. Corallina officinalis L. is an erect calcifying macroalga found in the inter- and subtidal regions of temperate rocky coastlines and provides important substrate and refugia for marine meiofauna. The main goal of the current study was to determine the physiological responses of C. officinalis to increased CO2 concentrations expected to occur within the next century and beyond. Our results show that growth and production of inorganic material decreased under high CO2 levels, while carbonic anhydrase activity was stimulated and negatively correlated to algal inorganic content. Photosynthetic efficiency based on oxygen evolution was also negatively affected by increased CO2. The results of this study indicate that C. officinalis may become less competitive under future CO2 levels, which could result in structural changes in future temperate intertidal communities.