Ocean Acidification Could Have Broad Effects On Marine Ecosystems

Concern about increasing ocean acidification has often focused on its potential effects on coral reefs, but broader disruptions of biological processes in the oceans may be more significant, according to Donald Potts, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an expert in coral reef ecology and marine biodiversity.

…”It’s not just a question of coral reefs, and it’s not just a question of calcification,” he said. “What we are potentially looking at are disruptions of developmental processes and of populations and communities on many scales.”

Many phytoplankton–microscopic algae that form the base of the marine food web–build calcium carbonate shells to protect themselves from microscopic predators called ciliate protozoa. A disruption of the ability of phytoplankton to build their shells could have ripple effects throughout the marine food web, Potts said.

“It’s going to change the dominant organism in the food chain, and there’s a very real danger that it may short-circuit the food chains,” he said. In other words, ciliate protozoa gorging on unprotected phytoplankton may flourish at the expense of other organisms higher up the food chain.

Science Daily