Study suggests acidification leads to an increase in calcium in the shells of shrimps
The Scripps Oceanographic Institution reports, 1st June 2015: A new study by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego researchers reveals that more carbon dioxide in seawater could lead to more calcium in shrimp exoskeletons and a decrease in their transparency.
The study appears in the 1st June issue of Scientific Reports, an open access journal published by Nature.
Researchers collected red rock shrimp from the water around Scripps Pier and compared their exoskeletons (shells) for chemical composition as well as transparency between animals kept in control and reduced pH conditions.
Shrimp rely on their shells to cover, support, and protect their internal soft bodies. Rock shrimp also use transparency between patches of colours to camouflage themselves from predators. The results of this study indicate that ocean acidification may adversely impact the rock shrimp’s biomechanical properties and its ability to avoid predators either through camouflage or escape behaviour.
Previous Scripps Oceanography studies have indicated potentially negative effects of ocean acidification on juvenile rockfish and fish ear bones. This is the first study to examine the effects of lower pH on shrimp transparency, exoskeleton structure, and chemistry.
Source: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 1st June. For further details see https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/study-reveals-ocean-acidifications-effects-shrimp-biology
