Responses of three tropical seagrass species to CO2 enrichment

Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide leads to ocean acidification and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) enrichment of seawater. Given the important ecological functions of seagrass meadows, understanding their responses to CO 2 will be critical for the management of coastal ecosystems. This study examined the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine biology 2015-05, Vol.162 (5), p.1005-1017
Main Authors: Ow, Y. X., Collier, C. J., Uthicke, S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acidification
Algae
Biomass
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Carbon dioxide
Chemical analysis
Coastal ecosystems
Ecological function
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Greenhouse gases
Life Sciences
Marine & Freshwater Sciences
Marine biology
Marine ecology
Microbiology
Ocean acidification
Oceanography
Original Paper
Photosynthesis
Physiological responses
Productivity
Seawater
Water analysis
Zoology
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Summary:Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide leads to ocean acidification and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) enrichment of seawater. Given the important ecological functions of seagrass meadows, understanding their responses to CO 2 will be critical for the management of coastal ecosystems. This study examined the physiological responses of three tropical seagrasses to a range of seawater pCO 2 levels in a laboratory. Cymodocea serrulata , Halodule uninervis and Thalassia hemprichii were exposed to four different pCO 2 treatments (442–1204 μatm) for 2 weeks, approximating the range of end-of-century emission scenarios. Photosynthetic responses were quantified using optode-based oxygen flux measurements. Across all three species, net productivity and energetic surplus ( P G : R ) significantly increased with a rise in pCO 2 (linear models, P  
ISSN:0025-3162
1432-1793
DOI:10.1007/s00227-015-2644-6