Ocean acidification impairs seagrass performance under thermal stress in shallow and deep water.

Chiara Ravaglioli, Lucia De Marchi, Serena Anselmi, Emanuela Dattolo, Debora Fontanini, Carlo Pretti, Gabriele Procaccini, Gil Rilov, Monia Renzi, Jacob Silverman, Fabio Bulleri

Journal: Environmental research 2024;241():117629

PMID: 37967703

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Abstract

Despite the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on seagrasses have been widely investigated, predictions of seagrass performance under future climates need to consider multiple environmental factors. Here, we performed a mesocosm study to assess the effects of OA on shallow and deep Posidonia oceanica plants. The experiment was run in 2021 and repeated in 2022, a year characterized by a prolonged warm water event, to test how the effects of OA on plants are modulated by thermal stress. The response of P. oceanica to experimental conditions was investigated at different levels of biological organization. Under average seawater temperature, there were no effects of OA in both shallow and deep plants, indicating that P. oceanica is not limited by current inorganic carbon concentration, regardless of light availability. In contrast, under thermal stress, exposure of plants to OA increased lipid peroxidation and decreased photosynthetic performance, with deep plants displaying higher levels of heat stress, as indicated by the over-expression of stress-related genes and the activation of antioxidant systems. In addition, warming reduced plant growth, regardless of seawater CO and light levels, suggesting that thermal stress may play a fundamental role in the future development of seagrass meadows. Our results suggest that OA may exacerbate the negative effects of future warming on seagrasses.

Address: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, CoNISMa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].; Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università of Pisa, Via Livornese (lato monte), 56122, San Piero a Grado, Pisa, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].; Bioscience Research Center, Via Aurelia Vecchia, 32, 58015, Orbetello, GR, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Centre (NBFC), Palermo, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].; Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, CoNISMa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].; Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università of Pisa, Via Livornese (lato monte), 56122, San Piero a Grado, Pisa, Italy; Interuniversity Consortium of Marine Biology and Applied Ecology "G. Bacci" (CIBM), Viale N.Sauro 4, 57128, Livorno, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Centre (NBFC), Palermo, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].; National Institute of Oceanography, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: [email protected].; Dipartimento di Scienze Della Vita, Università di Trieste, Via Giorgieri, 10, 34127, Trieste, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].; National Institute of Oceanography, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: [email protected].; Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, CoNISMa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy; Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca per Lo Studio Degli Effetti Del Cambiamento Climatico (CIRSEC), Università di Pisa, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].

DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117629

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MeSH Terms: Seawater, Water, Ocean Acidification, Hydrogen-Ion Concentration, Alismatales, Ecosystem