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Ocean acidification alters the calcareous microstructure of the green macro-alga Halimeda opuntia

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Abstract

Decreases in seawater pH and carbonate saturation state (Ω) following the continuous increase in atmospheric CO2 represent a process termed ocean acidification, which is predicted to become a main threat to marine calcifiers in the near future. Segmented, tropical, marine green macro-algae of the genus Halimeda form a calcareous skeleton that involves biotically initiated and induced calcification processes influenced by cell physiology. As Halimeda is an important habitat provider and major carbonate sediment producer in tropical shallow areas, alterations of these processes due to ocean acidification may cause changes in the skeletal microstructure that have major consequences for the alga and its environment, but related knowledge is scarce. This study used scanning electron microscopy to examine changes of the CaCO3 segment microstructure of Halimeda opuntia specimens that had been exposed to artificially elevated seawater pCO2 of ~650 µatm for 45 d. In spite of elevated seawater pCO2, the calcification of needles, located at the former utricle walls, was not reduced as frequent initiation of new needle-shaped crystals was observed. Abundance of the needles was ~22 % µm−2 higher and needle crystal dimensions ~14 % longer. However, those needles were ~42 % thinner compared with the control treatment. Moreover, lifetime cementation of the segments decreased under elevated seawater pCO2 due to a loss in micro-anhedral carbonate as indicated by significantly thinner calcified rims of central utricles (35–173 % compared with the control treatment). Decreased micro-anhedral carbonate suggests that seawater within the inter-utricular space becomes CaCO3 undersaturated (Ω < 1) during nighttime under conditions of elevated seawater pCO2, thereby favoring CaCO3 dissolution over micro-anhedral carbonate accretion. Less-cemented segments of H. opuntia may impair the environmental success of the alga, its carbonate sediment contribution, and the temporal storage of atmospheric CO2 within Halimeda-derived sediments.

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Acknowledgments

Sebastian Flotow (ZMT—Bremen) is acknowledged for the preparation of thin sections and support with the SEM analyses. Nils Rädecker and Florian Roth (ZMT—Bremen, University of Bremen) provided help in the setup of mesocosms, sample collection and water parameter measurements. Achim Meyer (ZMT—Bremen) helped to maintain the mesocosms and the gas-mixing system during the experiment. This research was funded by the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology. Contribution of L.C. Hofmann was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) project Biological Impacts of Ocean Acidification (BIOACID). Helpful comments and suggestions from reviewers and the associate editor highly improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT), Fahrenheitstraße 6, 28359, Bremen, Germany

    André Wizemann, Friedrich W. Meyer, Christian Wild & Hildegard Westphal

  2. Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Leobener Straße NW2, 28359, Bremen, Germany

    Laurie C. Hofmann & Christian Wild

  3. Faculty of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Klagenfurter Straße 2, 28359, Bremen, Germany

    Hildegard Westphal

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  1. André Wizemann
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Correspondence to André Wizemann.

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Communicated by Biology Editor Dr. Anastazia Banaszak

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Wizemann, A., Meyer, F.W., Hofmann, L.C. et al. Ocean acidification alters the calcareous microstructure of the green macro-alga Halimeda opuntia . Coral Reefs 34, 941–954 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-015-1288-9

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