OCE PRF: Track 2 (International) Indirect effects in a changing ocean: a case study of seagrass photosynthesis and mussel physiology

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One of the major goals of ocean acidification research is to understand how ecosystem functioning and services will change in the future. In this project, the fellow will assess the influence of pH variability on an ecologically and economically important mussel species, under future ocean pH and temperature conditions. The research will be conducted at Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche-sur-Mer, France in collaboration with international host scientist Dr. Jean-Pierre Gattuso and sponsoring scientist Dr. Todd Martz (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, USA). By hosting a workshop, the fellow will introduce pH sensors to European students and scientists and promote the use of field data in the design of biological experiments. The project supports the training of a postdoctoral fellow and two undergraduate student interns. Results and data from this project will be disseminated at conferences and through open-access publications and data repositories.Experiments investigating the effects of ocean acidification on marine organisms often ignore the spatio-temporal variability in seawater pH that is present in coastal marine ecosystems. Such heterogeneity in pH may provide temporal refuge from corrosive seawater under future levels of acidification. Utilizing a combination of field and lab experiments, this project will evaluate the influence of pH variability and interactive effects of warming and acidification on mussel physiology through several levels of biological organization. Should variability in pH provide beneficial effects on mussel development and growth, results of the project provide an avenue for local management of ocean acidification in coastal regions and aquaculture practices.