Hopp til hovedinnholdet

Publications

NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.

2017

To document

Abstract

We conducted a series of diagnostic fitness response experiments on the coccolithophore, Emiliania huxleyi, isolated from the Subtropical Convergence east of New Zealand. Dose response curves (i.e., physiological rate vs. environmental driver) were constructed for growth, photosynthetic, and calcification rates of E. huxleyi relative to each of five environmental drivers (nitrate concentration, phosphate concentration, irradiance, temperature, and pCO2). The relative importance of each environmental driver on E. huxleyi rate processes was then ranked using a semi-quantitative approach by comparing the percentage change caused by each environmental driver on the measured physiological metrics under the projected conditions for the year 2100, relative to those for the present day, in the Subtropical Convergence. The results reveal that the projected future decrease in nitrate concentration (33%) played the most important role in controlling the growth, photosynthetic and calcification rates of E. huxleyi, whereas raising pCO2 to 75 Pa (750 ppm) decreased the calcification : photosynthesis ratios to the greatest degree. These findings reveal that other environmental drivers may be equally or more influential than CO2 in regulating the physiological responses of E. huxleyi, and provide new diagnostic information to better understand how this ecologically important species will respond to the projected future changes to multiple environmental drivers.

To document

Abstract

Anthropogenic atmospheric emissions of CO2 are responsible for simultaneous ocean warming (OW) and ocean acidification (OA). These global events can have important impacts on marine fleshy macroalgae and coastal ecosystems. To understand the effects of OW and OA on the early life history stages of native (Macrocystis pyrifera) and invasive (Undaria pinnatifida) macroalgae, a multi-factorial experiment was performed to determine the independent and interactive effects of the drivers and the corresponding species-specific responses. Meiospores of M. pyrifera and U. pinnatifida were separately exposed to a 4 × 2 factorial design of seawater pH (pHT 7.20, extreme OA predicted for 2300; pHT 7.65, OA predicted for 2100; pHT 8.03, ambient pH; and pHT 8.40, pre-industrial pH) and temperature (12 °C, seasonal average temperature; and 16 °C, OW predicted for 2100). Over 15 days, different physiological parameters (i.e. meiospore germination, germling growth rate, gametophyte development and sex ratio) were measured. Reduced seawater pH and elevated temperature had independent and significant effects on developmental processes (germling growth rate, and male and female gametophyte sizes were independently greater under OA and OW conditions), but the interaction of the abiotic factors had no effect on any stage of meiospore development of either species. Despite some small differences between species (e.g. sex ratio), results of this experiment suggest that microscopic stages of the native M. pyrifera and the invasive U. pinnatifida will respond similarly to OA and OW.

To document

Abstract

The absorption of anthropogenic CO 2 by the oceans is causing a reduction in the pH of the surface waters termed ocean acidification (OA). This could have substantial effects on marine coastal environments where fleshy (non-calcareous) macroalgae are dominant primary producers and ecosystem engineers. Few OA studies have focused on the early life stages of large macroalgae such as kelps. This study evaluated the effects of seawater pH on the ontogenic development of meiospores of the native kelp Macrocystis pyrifera and the invasive kelp Undaria pinnatifi da , in south-eastern New Zealand. Meiospores of both kelps were released into four seawater pH treatments (pH T 7.20, extreme OA predicted for 2300; pH T 7.65, OA predicted for 2100; pH T 8.01, ambient pH; and pH T 8.40, pre-industrial pH) and cultured for 15 d. Meiospore germination, germling growth rate, and gametophyte size and sex ratio were monitored and measured. Exposure to reduced pH T (7.20 and 7.65) had pos itive effects on germling growth rate and gametophyte size in both M. pyrifera and U. pinnatifida , whereas, higher pH T (8.01 and 8.40) reduced the gametophyte size in both kelps. Sex ratio of gametophytes of both kelps was biased toward females under all pH T treatm ents, except for U. pinnatifida at pH T 7.65. Germling growth rate under OA was significantly higher in M. pyrifera compared to U. pinnatifida but gametophyte development was equal for both kelps under all seawater pH T treatments, indicating that the microscopic stages of the native M. pyrifera and the invasive U. pinnatifida will respond similarly to OA.