Abstract
Abstract. Ocean acidification, as a consequence of increasing marine pCO2, may have severe effects on the physiology of marine organisms. However, experimental studies remain scarce, in particular concerning fish. While adults will most likely remain relatively unaffected by changes in seawater pH, early life-history stages are potentially more sensitive – particularly the critical stage of fertilization, in which sperm motility plays a central role. In this study, the effects of ocean acidification (decrease of pHT to 7.55) on sperm motility of Baltic cod, Gadus morhua, were assessed. We found no significant effect of decreased pH on sperm speed, rate of change of direction or percent motility for the population of cod analyzed. We predict that future ocean acidification will probably not pose a problem for sperm behavior, and hence fertilization success, of Baltic cod.
Highlights
Atmospheric CO2 levels are currently rising faster than at any time in the previous 21 million years, driven largely by anthropogenic activities such as burning of fossil fuels and changes in land-use (IPCC, 2007)
While adults will most likely remain relatively unaffected by changes in seawater pH, early life-history stages are potentially more sensitive – the critical stage of fertilization, in which sperm motility plays a central role
We found no significant effect of decreased pH on sperm speed, rate of change of direction or percent motility for the population of cod analyzed
Summary
Atmospheric CO2 levels are currently rising faster than at any time in the previous 21 million years, driven largely by anthropogenic activities such as burning of fossil fuels and changes in land-use (IPCC, 2007). As the oceans are in a slow but continuous equilibrium with the atmosphere, it is projected that corresponding increases in CO2 absorption by the ocean from the atmosphere will lead to a drop in pH of ≤0.4 units by the year 2100 (Caldeira and Wickett, 2003; IPCC, 2007). This will in turn cause an under-saturation of calcium carbonate (Feely et al, 2004), which could have pervasive effects on calcifying marine organisms such as molluscs, cnidarians, and echinoderms (Fabry et al, 2008; Doney et al, 2009). Stoss (1983) found no effect of pH on motility but a reduction in the short-term viability of salmonid sperm
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