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Seawater carbonate chemistry and Posidonia oceanica epiphytic community composition and mineralogy

Alterations in seagrass epiphytic communities are expected under future ocean acidification conditions, yet this hypothesis has been little tested in situ. A Free Ocean Carbon Dioxide Enrichment system was used to lower pH by a ~0.3 unit offset within a partially enclosed portion (1.7 m3) of a Posidonia oceanica meadow (11 m depth) between June 21 and November 3, 2014. Leaf epiphytic community composition (% cover) and bulk epiphytic mineralogy were compared every 4 weeks within three treatments, located in the same meadow: a pH-manipulated (experimental enclosure) and a control enclosure, as well as a nearby ambient area. Percent coverage of invertebrate calcifiers and crustose coralline algae (CCA) did not appear to be affected by the lowered pH. Furthermore, fleshy algae did not proliferate at lowered pH. Only Foraminifera, which covered less than 3% of leaf surfaces, declined in manner consistent with ocean acidification predictions. Bulk epiphytic magnesium carbonate composition was similar between treatments and percentage of magnesium appeared to increase from summer to autumn. CCA did not exhibit any visible skeleton dissolution or mineral alteration at lowered pH and carbonate saturation state. Negative impacts from ocean acidification on P. oceanica epiphytic communities were smaller than expected. Epiphytic calcifiers were possibly protected from the pH treatment due to host plant photosynthesis inside the enclosure where water flow is slowed. The more positive outcome than expected suggests that calcareous members of epiphytic communities may find refuge in some conditions and be resilient to environmentally relevant changes in carbonate chemistry.

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Cox, T Erin, Nash, Merinda C, Gazeau, Frédéric, Deniel, M, Legrand, Erwann, Alliouane, Samir, Mahacek, Paul, Le Fur, Arnaud, Gattuso, Jean-Pierre, Martin, Sophie (2017). Dataset: Seawater carbonate chemistry and Posidonia oceanica epiphytic community composition and mineralogy. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.880301

DOI retrieved: 2017

Additional Info

Field Value
Imported on November 29, 2024
Last update November 29, 2024
License CC-BY-3.0
Source https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.880301
Author Cox, T Erin
Given Name T Erin
Family Name Cox
More Authors
Nash, Merinda C
Gazeau, Frédéric
Deniel, M
Legrand, Erwann
Alliouane, Samir
Mahacek, Paul
Le Fur, Arnaud
Gattuso, Jean-Pierre
Martin, Sophie
Source Creation 2017
Publication Year 2017
Resource Type text/tab-separated-values - filename: Cox-etal_2017
Subject Areas
Name: Biosphere

Name: Chemistry

Name: Oceans

Related Identifiers
Title: Effects of in situ CO2 enrichment on Posidonia oceanica epiphytic community composition and mineralogy
Identifier: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-017-3136-7
Type: DOI
Relation: IsSupplementTo
Year: 2017
Source: Marine Biology
Authors: Cox T Erin , Nash Merinda C , Gazeau Frédéric , Deniel M , Legrand Erwann , Alliouane Samir , Mahacek Paul , Le Fur Arnaud , Gattuso Jean-Pierre , Martin Sophie .

Title: seacarb: seawater carbonate chemistry with R. R package version 3.1
Identifier: https://cran.r-project.org/package=seacarb
Type: DOI
Relation: References
Year: 2016
Authors: Gattuso Jean-Pierre , Epitalon Jean-Marie , Lavigne Héloïse , Orr James C , Gentili Bernard , Proye Aurélien , Soetaert Karline , Rae James .