对由CO2升高引起的pH降低对棘皮动物的影响的研究强烈偏向于那些严重依赖钙化的群体。比如海胆。对于不那么依赖钙化的群体,可用的信息非常有限,比如海参。此外,Holothurians生理和行为的可塑性,这被认为是应对海洋酸化的关键,仍然不太了解。这里,我们研究了22周暴露于三种pH值水平(pH7.97,7.88和7.79)对成年Holothuriaforskali反应的影响.这是东北大西洋和地中海浅水区中丰富且具有生态意义的海参。在4周的pH值逐渐降低后,Holothurians没有表现出严重的酸中毒,可能是由于适应期缓慢。再暴露18周后,体腔酸碱参数在pH处理之间没有显着差异,而它们高于第4周。性腺发育,防御行为,沉积在体壁中的钙质内骨骼的结构以及Ca2和Mg2浓度均不受海水pH降低的影响。22周后无统计学差异,和成年H.forskali对海水pH降低的影响表现出很强的生理和行为可塑性。虽然由于样本量小,对我们结果的解释受到限制,这项关于海水酸化对海参影响的首次长期研究揭示了在东北大西洋沿海水域发现的pCO2的广泛自然范围内的恢复力。
Research into the effects of reduced pH caused by rising CO2 on echinoderms has been strongly biased toward those groups which rely heavily on calcification, such as sea urchins. There is very limited information available for groups that are less reliant on calcification, such as sea cucumbers. Moreover, plasticity in physiology and behavior in
holothurians, which is considered to be critical to cope with ocean acidification, remains even less understood. Here, we examined the effects of a 22-week exposure to three pH levels (pH 7.97, 7.88, and 7.79) on the responses of adult Holothuria forskali. This is an abundant and ecologically important sea cucumber in shallow waters of the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean. The
holothurians did not exhibit serious acidosis after a 4-week gradually decreased pH exposure, possibly due to the slow acclimation period. After an additional 18 weeks of exposure, coelomic acid-base parameters did not differ significantly among the pH treatments, whereas they were higher than in week 4. Gonad development, defense behavior, and the structure and Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations of calcareous endoskeleton deposited in the body wall were all unaffected by decreased levels of seawater pH. No statistical differences were found after 22 weeks, and adult H. forskali showed strong physiological and behavioral plasticity to the effects of lowered seawater pH. While the interpretation of our results is restricted due to small sample sizes, this first long-term study of the effects of seawater acidification on sea cucumbers revealed resilience within the wide natural range of pCO2 found in NE Atlantic coastal waters.