Individual and population-level responses to ocean acidification.

Area of Science:

• Marine Biology
• Ecology
• Climate Change Science

Background:

• Ocean acidification poses risks to marine life and ecosystems.
• Previous research focused on individual species impacts, not combined individual and population effects.
• Understanding these combined effects is crucial for predicting ecosystem responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of ocean acidification on gastropod energy budgets and population demographics.
• To assess how individual-level changes scale up to population and evolutionary processes.
• To determine the impact of ocean acidification on the eco-evolutionary trajectories of marine populations.

Main Methods:

• Experimental exposure of gastropods to acidified conditions.
• Analysis of individual energy budgets, including shell size and body mass.
• Assessment of population demography, sex ratios, and genetic variance in reproductive success.
• Evaluation of genetic signatures related to reproductive success and genetic drift.

Main Results:

• Ocean acidification increased energetic demands in gastropods, leading to reduced shell size and increased body mass.
• Long-term exposure altered population demography, decreasing the proportion of females.
• Genetic analysis revealed increased variance in reproductive success, enhancing genetic drift and potentially inhibiting adaptation.

Conclusions:

• Ocean acidification drives significant individual and population-level changes in gastropods.
• These changes, including altered energy allocation and demography, impact the adaptive potential of populations.
• The findings highlight the complex eco-evolutionary consequences of ocean acidification for marine ecosystems, even with high gene flow.