The response of antarctic sea ice algae to changes in pH and

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TitleThe response of antarctic sea ice algae to changes in pH and CO2AbstractOcean acidification substantially alters ocean carbon chemistry and hence pH but the effects on sea ice formation and the CO2 concentration in the enclosed brine channels are unknown. Microbial communities inhabiting sea ice ecosystems currently contribute 10-50% of the annual primary production of polar seas, supporting overwintering zooplankton species, especially Antarctic krill, and seeding spring phytoplankton blooms. Ocean acidification is occurring in all surface waters but the strongest effects will be experienced in polar ecosystems with significant effects on all trophic levels. Brine algae collected from McMurdo Sound (Antarctica) sea ice was incubated in situ under various carbonate chemistry conditions. The carbon chemistry was manipulated with acid, bicarbonate and bases to produce a pCO2 and pH range from 238 to 6066 matm and 7.19 to 8.66, respectively. Elevated pCO2 positively affected the growth rate of the brine algal community, dominated by the unique ice dinoflagellate, Polarella glacialis. Growth rates were significantly reduced when pH dropped below 7.6. However, when the pH was held constant and the pCO2 increased, growth rates of the brine algae increased by more than 20% and showed no decline at pCO2 values more than five times current ambient levels. We suggest that projected increases in seawater pCO 2, associated with OA, will not adversely impact brine algal communities. 2014 McMinn et al.AcknowledgementsLogistical support was provided by Antarctica New Zealand. A.-P. Zanandrea is acknowledged for her help with total alkalinity and Coulter Multisizer analysis.Funding DetailsARC, Australian Research Council

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1st AuthorMcMinn, A.AuthorMcMinn, A.Müller, M.Martin, A.Ryan, K.Year2014JournalPLoS ONEVolume9Number1DOI10.1371/journal.pone.0086984URLhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/recor.....75099bcaef4fbb6492df6c7e9Keywordsbicarbonatecarboncarbon dioxidecarbonic acidcarbon dioxidecarbonic acid derivativechlorophyllchlorophyll a, algaalgal communityAntarcticaarticlebrinecarbon dioxide tensionchemistrycontrolled studydinoflagellategrowth ratenonhumanpHPolarella glacialissalinitysea icetemperaturedrug effectseukaryotegrowth, development and agingice covermetabolismpHphysiology, Antarctic RegionsCarbon DioxideCarbonatesChlorophyllEukaryotaHydrogen-Ion ConcentrationIce Cover, rank5

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TypeArticleCitationMcMinn, A., Müller, M., Martin, A. and Ryan, K. (2014). The response of antarctic sea ice algae to changes in pH and CO2. PLoS ONE, 9(1) doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0086984 IdentifierMcMinn2014Relevancerank5