Elevated CO₂ enhances aerobic scope of a coral reef fish

Rummer, Jodie L., Stecyk, Jonathan A.W., Couturier, Christine, Watson, Sue-Ann, Nilsson, Göran E., and Munday, Philip L. (2013) Elevated CO₂ enhances aerobic scope of a coral reef fish. Conservation Physiology, 1 (1). pp. 1-7.

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Abstract

The uptake of anthropogenic CO₂ by the ocean has been suggested to impact marine ecosystems by decreasing the respiratory capacity of fish and other water breathers. We investigated the aerobic metabolic scope of the spiny damselfish, Acanthochromis polyacanthus, from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia when exposed for 17 days to CO₂ conditions predicted for the end of the century (946 μatm CO₂). Surprisingly, resting O₂ consumption rates were significantly lower and maximal O₂ consumption rates significantly higher in high-CO₂-exposed fish compared with control fish (451 μatm CO₂). Consequently, high-CO₂-exposed fish exhibited an unexpected increase in absolute (38%) and factorial aerobic scopes (47%). Haematological and muscle water changes associated with exercise were not affected by CO₂ treatment. Thus, contrary to predictions, our results suggest that elevated CO₂ may enhance aerobic scope of some fish species. Long-term experiments are now required to assess the response to elevated CO₂ further, because developmental and transgenerational effects can be dramatic in fish. Ultimately, understanding the variability among species regarding the effects of CO₂ on aerobic scope will be critical in predicting the impacts of ocean acidification on marine communities and ecosystems.

Item ID: 32082
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 2051-1434
Keywords: aerobic scope; climate change; coral reef fish; ocean acidification
Additional Information:

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), which permits unrestricted distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Funders: Australian Research Council (ARC), ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, University of Oslo, Research Council of Norway, United States National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health
Projects and Grants: USNIGMSNIH grant no. P20GM103395
Date Deposited: 20 Mar 2014 23:02
FoR Codes: 06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0602 Ecology > 060205 Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl Marine Ichthyology) @ 25%
05 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 0501 Ecological Applications > 050101 Ecological Impacts of Climate Change @ 50%
06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0606 Physiology > 060699 Physiology not elsewhere classified @ 25%
SEO Codes: 97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences @ 50%
96 ENVIRONMENT > 9603 Climate and Climate Change > 960399 Climate and Climate Change not elsewhere classified @ 50%
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