Evidence for an effective defence against ocean acidification in the key bioindicator pteropod Limacina helicina

dc.contributor.authorMiller, Matthew R.
dc.contributor.authorOakes, R. L.
dc.contributor.authorCovert, Paul A.
dc.contributor.authorIanson, D.
dc.contributor.authorDower, John F.
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-12T23:42:39Z
dc.date.available2025-02-12T23:42:39Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.description.abstractThe pteropod Limacina helicina has become an important bioindicator species for the negative impacts of ocean acidification (OA) on marine ecosystems. However, pteropods diversified during earlier high CO2 periods in Earth history and currently inhabit regions that are naturally corrosive to their shells, suggesting that they possess mechanisms to survive unfavourable conditions. Recent work, which is still under considerable debate, has proposed that the periostracum, a thin organic coating on the outer shell, protects pteropods from shell dissolution. Here, we provide direct evidence that shows that damage to the L. helicina periostracum results in dissolution of the underlying shell when exposed to corrosive water for ∼8 d, while an intact periostracum protects the shell from dissolution under the same conditions. This important first line of defence suggests that pteropods are more resistant to OA-induced shell dissolution than is generally accepted.
dc.description.reviewstatusReviewed
dc.description.scholarlevelFaculty
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was supported by funding to DI from the Government of Canada’s Aquatic Climate Change Adaptation and Services Program (ACCASP) (96036) plus a Discovery Grant (to JD) (RGPIN-2020-07077) and an Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship (to MRM) from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
dc.identifier.citationMiller, M. R., Oakes, R. L., Covert, P. A., Ianson, D., & Dower, J. F. (2023). Evidence for an effective defence against ocean acidification in the key bioindicator pteropod Limacina helicina. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 80(5), 1329–1341. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsad059
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsad059
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/21200
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherICES Journal of Marine Science
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject.departmentSchool of Earth and Ocean Sciences
dc.subject.departmentDepartment of Biology
dc.titleEvidence for an effective defence against ocean acidification in the key bioindicator pteropod Limacina helicina
dc.typeArticle

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