High taxonomic diversity and miniaturization in benthic communities under persistent natural CO2 disturbances.

A glimpse into the sea floors of the future

31 July 2023

The acidification of the world’s oceans is predicted to lead to smaller organisms dwelling on the sea floor.

As the oceans absorb more carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere, they become increasingly acidic. Marine biologists are seeking to discover what effect this will have on organisms living in the sea.

Now, a team led by researchers from University of La Laguna has used a powerful DNA-based technique to investigate algae and marine invertebrates living near a CO₂ vent near the Canary Islands.

The vent provides a perfect laboratory to explore the effect of CO₂ levels since the concentration of CO₂ declines with distance from the vent.

While the team found no loss in species diversity with increasing CO₂, they did find a higher proportion of smaller organisms closer to the vent. They thus suspect that such species will better tolerate the high acidification levels expected in future oceans.

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References

1. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 290, 20222417 (2023). doi: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2417