Gulf of Alaska | Lower Trophic Levels
Impacts of ocean acidification on predator-prey dynamics Presenter: Kenedy Williams , kawilliams13@alaska.edu Julie Schram , jbschram@alaska.edu, University of Alaska Southeast Hannah Forshee , hforshee@alaska.edu
Ocean acidification is a climate-driven process that results from seawater absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide, resulting in a decrease in seawater pH that may have a lasting impact on biological communities all around the world but could be especially seen in Alaska. Some organisms, such as gastropods, are known to be particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification. We are beginning to learn more about lasting impacts on biological communities, but much less known about how ocean acidification will affect trophic organismal food web interactions. The purpose of this study was to determine if ocean acidification caused a physical or behavioral change in predator (six-rayed sea star Leptasterias hexactis ) or prey (Sitka periwinkle Littorina sitkana ). We tested exposure to combinations of either ambient or reduced pH and predator presence or absence in a 2x2 factorial design for 25 days. Following this exposure period, we tested for changes in behavior (self-righting) and physiology (shell strength). Our results demonstrated on a short-term scale, reduced pH had little effect on the relationship between this predator and prey pairing. We found that reduced pH had no significant effect on physiology, but it did have a significant effect on the behavior of the Sitka periwinkle. We were able to conclude that ocean acidification does not pose a significant threat to predator-prey relations on a short-term scale but could prove to be more deleterious over long periods of time.
Alaska Marine Science Symposium 2023 138
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