| Summary: | © The Author(s), 2012. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Biogeosciences 9 (2012): 747-757, doi:10.5194/bg-9-747-2012. Shelled pteropods (Thecosomata) are a group of holoplanktonic mollusks that are believed to be especially sensitive to ocean acidification because their aragonitic shells are highly soluble. Despite this concern, there is very little known about the physiological response of these animals to conditions of elevated carbon dioxide. This study examines the oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion of five pteropod species, collected from tropical regions of the Pacific Ocean, to elevated levels of carbon dioxide (0.10%, 1000 ppm). Our results show that pteropods that naturally migrate into oxygen minimum zones, such as Hyalocylis striata, Clio pyramidata, Cavolinia longirostris and Creseis virgula, were not affected by carbon dioxide at the levels and duration tested. Diacria quadridentata, which does not migrate, responds to high carbon dioxide conditions with reduced oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion. This indicates that the natural chemical environment of individual species may influence their resilience to ocean acidification. Funding of the National Science Foundation (grant OCE-0526502 to Wishner and Seibel, OCE – 0526545 to Daly, and OCE – 0851043 to Seibel), the University of Rhode Island, and the Rhode Island Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research Fellowship Program.
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