Experimental ocean acidification alters the allocation of metabolic energy

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
• Main Authors: Pan, T.-C. Francis, Applebaum, Scott L., Manahan, Donal T.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: National Academy of Sciences 2015
• Subjects: Biological Sciences; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4403215/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25825763; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1416967112

Anthropogenic emission of CO2 is causing global ocean acidification. For many species, biological responses to acidification often show limited impact at the level of the whole animal. Our integrative studies of whole-organism growth and metabolic rates, rates of protein synthesis and ion transport, enzyme activity, and gene expression show that although the organismal-level impact of acidification on developing sea urchins was minimal, dramatic compensation occurred at the cellular level. Increased rates of synthesis and ion transport resulted in 84% of available energy being allocated to those processes under acidification. Defining the limits of differential energy allocation for the maintenance of critical physiological functions in response to compounding stressors will help provide a mechanistic understanding of resilience potential to environmental change.