Navigation Links
Ocean acidification threatens cold-water coral ecosystems

eclines," says Guinotte. "But now we suspect that this increase in CO2 will have a detrimental effect on cold-water corals as well. Cold-water reefs are at greater risk than shallow-water reefs because colder waters are naturally less hospitable for coral growth."

The uptake of CO2 by oceans initiates a series of chemical reactions that increase acidity and decrease carbonate ion concentration in seawater. Corals and other marine organisms (e.g. some species of plankton and mollusks) use carbonate ions to build their skeletons or shells. Model projections indicate that by 2100, only 30 percent of cold-water reefs will still be in waters supersaturated with aragonite. With fewer carbonate ions available, there could be a dramatic reduction in the growth of both the corals and marine plankton species that make their shells from aragonite. As the oceans become more acidic, corals are expected to build weaker skeletons, a process similar to osteoporosis in humans.

Cold-water corals provide habitat for many commercially important fish species and harbor several species of sponges that produce chemicals with anti-cancer and other medicinal uses. Unfortunately, says Guinotte, just as scientists are finding out how diverse and important cold-water corals are, they are being threatened by a one-two punch.

"First, bottom trawlers smash them to bits. Then, ocean acidification will probably slow the skeletal growth and/or lead to weaker skeletons of those that remain. Ocean acidification will likely have serious and wide-reaching impacts, not only for coral ecosystems but for all life in the oceans. Many species of marine plankton use carbonate ions and occupy the base of most marine food webs, so a reduction in their numbers could lead to harmful effects throughout marine ecosystems."

Only a decrease in the burning of fossil fuels is likely to slow this trend, say Guinotte and colleagues.


'"/>

Source:Ecological Society of America


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Oceans more vulnerable to agricultural runoff than previously thought, study finds
2. Breakthrough System for Understanding Ocean Plant Life Announced
3. Ocean climate predicts elk population in Canadian Rockies
4. New Scripps Oceanography project to study sediments and ecosystem restoration in Venice lagoon
5. Oceans turning to acid from rise in CO2
6. The Antarctic Ocean floor
7. Ocean dead zones trigger sex changes in fish, posing extinction threat
8. Oceans are 70 percent shark free
9. Ocean virus identified in human blood samples
10. MIT: Oceans are a major gene swap-meet for plankton
11. Ocean temperature predicts spread of marine species
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Ocean acidification threatens cold water coral ecosystems

(Date:5/16/2013)... For decades, scientists have used ancient shorelines to predict the ... Markings of a high shoreline from three million years ago, ... period were thought to be evidence of a high ... This assumption has led many scientists to think that if ... they may do just the same in our modern, progressively ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... and athletes choose to wear the color red when ... Psychological Science , a journal of the Association ... do with their testosterone levels. , The new study, ... of Sunderland and colleagues, demonstrated that males who chose ... higher testosterone levels than other males who chose blue. ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... where the entirety of an individual,s DNA is examined ... can cause health problems is a massively useful technology ... major ethical problems if used incorrectly, say new recommendations ... on line today (16 May 2013) in the ... on whole genome and on exome* sequencing and analysis ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):World's biggest ice sheets likely more stable than previously believed 2High-testosterone competitors more likely to choose red 2European Society of Human Genetics urges caution over use of new genetic sequencing techniques 2
... drilling rig exploded on April 20, 2010, in the ... planetary sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, grabbed all ... the Louisiana coast. Engel and dozens of scientists ... they knew would be needed once the oil began spilling ...
... white LED bulbs, it turns out, suppresses melatonin 5 times ... bulbs that give off an orange-yellow light. "Just as there ... be regulations and rules for the pollution stemming from artificial ... of Haifa. , "White" light bulbs that emit light ...
... Quebec City, September 12, 2011A study presented today by Universit ... currently underway in Quebec City revealed that the risk of ... at least one member is an insomniac. The ... Laval,s School of Psychology, came to these conclusions following a ...
Cached Biology News:UT researcher investigates Deepwater Horizon oil spill impact on coast 2Dangers of exposure to 'white' light 2Dangers of exposure to 'white' light 3
(Date:5/17/2013)... Photographers know the ... see which branch a bird is sitting on, but spotting ... lens for high-magnification images requires considerable skill. It is a ... the active biomolecules of cells. , Olga Schubert, a doctoral ... her colleagues have now come up with a search aid. ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... , May 17, 2013  Cellular Biomedicine ... achieved 50% enrollment of the total projected enrollment ... the safety and preliminary efficacy of the medical ... for Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA). To date the trial ... The Phase I open label clinical ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) May 17, 2013 ... to understanding complex biological systems that can help predict ... Keynote speaker Dr. Sergey Stepaniants, Head of Computational Biology ... of computational biology tools to ensure high-quality genomics when ... tools can be applied to complex data sets to ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... 16, 2013 The Stirling Ultracold ... Cooling, Inc., Athens, OH, USA, won the Outstanding New ... International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) at ... to one product annually, recognizes the company’s development and ... freezer. The award was presented to Global Cooling’s ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Proteome atlas for the tuberculosis pathogen 2Proteome atlas for the tuberculosis pathogen 3Cellular Biomedicine Group Achieves 50% Enrollment Milestone in Phase I Clinical Trial for Knee Osteoarthritis 2Stirling Ultracold Ultra-Low Freezer Wins 2013 Outstanding New Product Award at International Biorepository Conference, Sydney, Australia 2
... 11, 2012 Dr. Richard Dolinar, chairman of the ... of concern that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ... the U.S. drug market in prepared testimony for the ... FDA,s recent draft guidelines for the development of biosimilar ...
... Calif., May 10, 2012 Aviir Diagnostic Laboratory has ... testing as a participating provider with Stratose Network and ... About Stratose A true pioneer of ... OPPN, PlanCare America, 4MOST Health, Qualident and KeyClaims) works ...
... 9, 2012 A monumental discovery that provides the promise ... at large was announced this morning in London during ... National Children,s Leukemia Foundation, a leading non-profit organisation in ... teams in the United States and Israel have discovered. ...
Cached Biology Technology:Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines Chairman Urges FDA to Ensure that Patient Safety is the Cornerstone of Biosimilar Pathway 2Aviir Laboratories Announce National Agreement with Stratose 2Aviir Laboratories Announce National Agreement with Stratose 3Founder of National Children's Leukemia Unveiled Non-Embryonic Stem Cell Treatment Promising Cure for Cancer at GIL 2012: Europe 2Founder of National Children's Leukemia Unveiled Non-Embryonic Stem Cell Treatment Promising Cure for Cancer at GIL 2012: Europe 3
... The versatile Zymo-Spin I-96 Plate can be ... manifolds for the large-scale (i.e., 96-well) purification ... polypropylene construction and unique silica-based matrix make ... g DNA or RNA in = 10 ...
...
...
...
Biology Products: