Ecology of coastal invertebrates in a changing ocean

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Human impacts including climate change are negatively affecting marine ecosystems in Canada and around the world. Anthropogenic emissions of CO2 have resulted in both changes in patterns of ocean temperatures and acidification (decreased pH and carbonate saturation) of seawater and these impacts are projected to increase in future. The long-term objective of the proposed research program is to increase our understanding of the influence of climate change on coastal marine ecosystems. This research program builds on my previous research on sediment acidification and patterns of subtidal biodiversity. Understanding the effects of climate change in coastal waters is complicated by the large amount of natural variability in seawater pH and temperature in these systems. In addition, organisms living within sediment are exposed to more acidic conditions due to microbial decomposition, resulting in present-day carbonate saturation states low enough to dissolve bivalve shells. Research in my lab has demonstrated that juvenile clams will respond to acidified sediment by decreased burrowing and increased dispersal. The proposed research will address gaps in our knowledge of coastal acidification by examining the effects of variability in acidification compared to constant acidification treatments and by assessing whether organisms that live within the sediment are affected more by acidification of the water or by acidification of the sediment. The second area of climate change research which I propose will quantify and forecast changes in patterns of abundance and distribution of decapod crustaceans (crabs, shrimp, lobster) and fish in subtidal cobble habitat that are occurring in response to changes in ocean temperature. Through collaboration with researchers using cobble-filled collectors to measure lobster recruitment, my research lab has been examining biodiversity in subtidal cobble habitats. Decapod and fish data will be collected in shallow coastal areas in 3 regions of the Canadian Maritimes which differ in oceanographic conditions. Changes in patterns of distribution and abundance, such as the recent increase in cunner in the Quoddy region of the Bay of Fundy, will be examined in comparison to changes in ocean climate and species traits. Overall, the proposed research will contribute to a greater understanding of the effects of climate change in shallow coastal marine habitats, ecosystems which are extremely productive, but poorly understood and insufficiently studied.***