Abstract
Abstract. Dissolution of anthropogenic CO2 is chronically acidifying aquatic ecosystems. Studies indicate that ocean acidification will cause marine life, especially calcifying species, to suffer at the organism and ecosystem levels. In comparison, freshwater acidification has received less attention, rendering its consequences unclear. Here, juvenile Chinese mitten crabs, Eriocheir sinensis, were used as a crustacean model to investigate the impact of CO2-mediated freshwater acidification. Our integrative approach, investigating changes in the animal's acid–base homeostasis, metabolism, calcification, locomotory behaviour, and survival rate, indicates that this economically relevant crustacean will face energetic consequences from future freshwater acidification. These energetic trade-offs allow the animal to maintain its acid–base homeostasis at the cost of reduced metabolic activity, exoskeletal calcification, and locomotion, reducing the animal's overall fitness and increasing its mortality. Results indicate that present-day Chinese mitten crab could be heavily affected by freshwater acidification like their marine counterparts and emphasize the importance of understanding the long-term implications of freshwater acidification on species' fitness.
Highlights
Rising levels of atmospheric CO2 partially dissolve into marine systems, causing a decrease in oceanic pH referred to as ocean acidification
Chinese mitten crab maintained in control freshwater showed no changes in hemolymph pH, bicarbonate, pCO2, or ammonia throughout the experimental time course (Fig. 2; Table 2)
We aimed to demonstrate the physiological and behavioural consequences of a future CO2-mediated freshwater acidification scenario on a juvenile freshwater crustacean, the Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis
Summary
Rising levels of atmospheric CO2 partially dissolve into marine systems, causing a decrease in oceanic pH referred to as ocean acidification. It is generally believed that freshwater systems will experience acidification (Hasler et al, 2016; Phillips et al, 2015; Weiss et al, 2018). The high variability in biogeochemistry between freshwater systems has been a limiting factor in modelling future freshwater scenarios (Hasler et al, 2016). Two recent case studies on different freshwater systems have suggested that the magnitude of CO2-mediated acidification could be similar to or even exceed predicted levels of ocean acidification (Phillips et al, 2015; Weiss et al, 2018). The potential that freshwater acidification may be of equal or greater severity than ocean acidification emphasizes the need to understand the biological responses and consequences to freshwater species
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