Oysters in a Changing Ocean: Effects of acidification and warming on Olympia oyster larval swimming and growth

Research Mentor(s)

Arellano, Shawn M.

Description

Anthropogenic influence and increased atmospheric CO2 are creating a myriad of changing conditions for the world’s oceans, including ocean acidification and warming. Multi-stress studies are imperative to the understanding of practical ocean conditions, as often times concurrent stressors exhibit synergistic rather than additive effects on organisms. We analyzed effects of temperature and acidification on Olympia oyster, Ostrea lurida, larval swimming behavior and growth. As the only oyster native to the northern Pacific coast of North America, this species has been in decline for the past few centuries, and has been a topic of interest for restoration in recent years. We cultured larvae at three pCO2 treatments (400ppm, representative of current atmospheric CO2 measurements, 800ppm, and 1200ppm, representative of possible predicted levels within the next century) and two temperatures (12°C and 25°C, values nearing the low and high temperature limits of the species). We used larval tracking and video analysis techniques to quantify swimming performance, and determined growth rate using digital image evaluating software. Knowing how swimming behaviors and the duration of the planktonic life cycle change with ocean warming and acidification will give us a better understanding of larval dispersal and inform restoration efforts.

Document Type

Event

Start Date

14-5-2015 10:00 AM

End Date

14-5-2015 2:00 PM

Department

Biology

Genre/Form

student projects; posters

Subjects – Topical (LCSH)

Olympia oyster; Oysters--Pacific Coast (North America)--Effects of water pollution on; Ocean acidification; Oysters--Climatic factors

Geographic Coverage

Pacific Coast (North America)

Type

Image

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this documentation for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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May 14th, 10:00 AM May 14th, 2:00 PM

Oysters in a Changing Ocean: Effects of acidification and warming on Olympia oyster larval swimming and growth

Anthropogenic influence and increased atmospheric CO2 are creating a myriad of changing conditions for the world’s oceans, including ocean acidification and warming. Multi-stress studies are imperative to the understanding of practical ocean conditions, as often times concurrent stressors exhibit synergistic rather than additive effects on organisms. We analyzed effects of temperature and acidification on Olympia oyster, Ostrea lurida, larval swimming behavior and growth. As the only oyster native to the northern Pacific coast of North America, this species has been in decline for the past few centuries, and has been a topic of interest for restoration in recent years. We cultured larvae at three pCO2 treatments (400ppm, representative of current atmospheric CO2 measurements, 800ppm, and 1200ppm, representative of possible predicted levels within the next century) and two temperatures (12°C and 25°C, values nearing the low and high temperature limits of the species). We used larval tracking and video analysis techniques to quantify swimming performance, and determined growth rate using digital image evaluating software. Knowing how swimming behaviors and the duration of the planktonic life cycle change with ocean warming and acidification will give us a better understanding of larval dispersal and inform restoration efforts.