Functional diversity and metabolic response in benthic communities along an ocean acidification gradient

Area of Science:

• Marine Biology
• Ecology
• Climate Change Science

Background:

• Ocean acidification (OA) poses a significant threat to marine ecosystems, affecting organisms from individual to ecosystem levels.
• Benthic organisms play a crucial role in marine ecosystem functioning, making their response to OA critical.
• Functional traits offer a valuable method to assess species adaptation to environmental changes and predict community resilience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of OA on the functional traits and metabolic rates of benthic communities.
• To explore the repercussions of OA on functional diversity in marine ecosystems.
• To predict how climate change-induced OA may alter ecosystem resilience and functioning.

Main Methods:

• Deployment of artificial supports for one year in a natural pH gradient within shallow hydrothermal systems.
• Monitoring changes in community composition, functional traits, and metabolic rates of benthic organisms.
• Analysis of functional diversity and evenness in response to varying pH levels.

Main Results:

• Ocean acidification led to shifts in community composition and altered functional diversity.
• Higher oxygen consumption was observed at the acidified site, with a selection for species possessing traits tolerant to OA.
• Calcification rate and reproduction were identified as the most sensitive traits to pH variations.

Conclusions:

• Reduced functional evenness in communities can decrease their resilience to environmental stressors.
• Marine ecosystems demonstrate an ability to respond to climate change, with species adapting to predicted future pCO2 scenarios.
• Understanding OA's impact on functional diversity is vital for predicting ecosystem vulnerability amidst multiple environmental changes.