ORCID Profile
0000-0002-6915-2518
Current Organisations
University of Plymouth
,
University of Tsukuba
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Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-08-2012
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2016.12.031
Abstract: Rising atmospheric CO
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-01-2016
DOI: 10.1038/SREP20194
Abstract: Ocean acidification is predicted to have detrimental effects on many marine organisms and ecological processes. Despite growing evidence for direct impacts on specific species, few studies have simultaneously considered the effects of ocean acidification on in iduals (e.g. consequences for energy budgets and resource partitioning) and population level demographic processes. Here we show that ocean acidification increases energetic demands on gastropods resulting in altered energy allocation, i.e. reduced shell size but increased body mass. When scaled up to the population level, long-term exposure to ocean acidification altered population demography, with evidence of a reduction in the proportion of females in the population and genetic signatures of increased variance in reproductive success among in iduals. Such increased variance enhances levels of short-term genetic drift which is predicted to inhibit adaptation. Our study indicates that even against a background of high gene flow, ocean acidification is driving in idual- and population-level changes that will impact eco-evolutionary trajectories.
Publisher: Resilience Alliance, Inc.
Date: 2015
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-11-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-019-13126-0
Abstract: An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-09-2016
DOI: 10.1038/NCLIMATE3122
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-11-2017
DOI: 10.1038/NCLIMATE3161
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-05-2012
DOI: 10.1111/J.1365-2486.2012.02716.X
Abstract: Predicting the impacts of ocean acidification on coastal ecosystems requires an understanding of the effects on macroalgae and their grazers, as these underpin the ecology of rocky shores. Whilst calcified coralline algae (Rhodophyta) appear to be especially vulnerable to ocean acidification, there is a lack of information concerning calcified brown algae (Phaeophyta), which are not obligate calcifiers but are still important producers of calcium carbonate and organic matter in shallow coastal waters. Here, we compare ecological shifts in subtidal rocky shore systems along CO2 gradients created by volcanic seeps in the Mediterranean and Papua New Guinea, focussing on abundant macroalgae and grazing sea urchins. In both the temperate and tropical systems the abundances of grazing sea urchins declined dramatically along CO2 gradients. Temperate and tropical species of the calcifying macroalgal genus Padina (Dictyoaceae, Phaeophyta) showed reductions in CaCO3 content with CO2 enrichment. In contrast to other studies of calcified macroalgae, however, we observed an increase in the abundance of Padina spp. in acidified conditions. Reduced sea urchin grazing pressure and significant increases in photosynthetic rates may explain the unexpected success of decalcified Padina spp. at elevated levels of CO2 . This is the first study to provide a comparison of ecological changes along CO2 gradients between temperate and tropical rocky shores. The similarities we found in the responses of Padina spp. and sea urchin abundance at several vent systems increases confidence in predictions of the ecological impacts of ocean acidification over a large geographical range.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 07-09-2012
Abstract: Most studies that forecast the ecological consequences of climate change target a single species and a single life stage. Depending on climatic impacts on other life stages and on interacting species, however, the results from simple experiments may not translate into accurate predictions of future ecological change. Research needs to move beyond simple experimental studies and environmental envelope projections for single species towards identifying where ecosystem change is likely to occur and the drivers for this change. For this to happen, we advocate research directions that (i) identify the critical species within the target ecosystem, and the life stage(s) most susceptible to changing conditions and (ii) the key interactions between these species and components of their broader ecosystem. A combined approach using macroecology, experimentally derived data and modelling that incorporates energy budgets in life cycle models may identify critical abiotic conditions that disproportionately alter important ecological processes under forecasted climates.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2013
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1890/14-0802.1
Abstract: Ocean acidification, chemical changes to the carbonate system of seawater, is emerging as a key environmental challenge accompanying global warming and other human-induced perturbations. Considerable research seeks to define the scope and character of potential outcomes from this phenomenon, but a crucial impediment persists. Ecological theory, despite its power and utility, has been only peripherally applied to the problem. Here we sketch in broad strokes several areas where fundamental principles of ecology have the capacity to generate insight into ocean acidification's consequences. We focus on conceptual models that, when considered in the context of acidification, yield explicit predictions regarding a spectrum of population- and community-level effects, from narrowing of species ranges and shifts in patterns of demographic connectivity, to modified consumer-resource relationships, to ascendance of weedy taxa and loss of species ersity. Although our coverage represents only a small fraction of the breadth of possible insights achievable from the application of theory, our hope is that this initial foray will spur expanded efforts to blend experiments with theoretical approaches. The result promises to be a deeper and more nuanced understanding of ocean acidification'and the ecological changes it portends.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2023
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-2020
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-04-2017
DOI: 10.1038/SREP46297
Abstract: Beneficial effects of CO 2 on photosynthetic organisms will be a key driver of ecosystem change under ocean acidification. Predicting the responses of macroalgal species to ocean acidification is complex, but we demonstrate that the response of assemblages to elevated CO 2 are correlated with inorganic carbon physiology. We assessed abundance patterns and a proxy for CO 2 :HCO 3 − use (δ 13 C values) of macroalgae along a gradient of CO 2 at a volcanic seep, and examined how shifts in species abundance at other Mediterranean seeps are related to macroalgal inorganic carbon physiology. Five macroalgal species capable of using both HCO 3 − and CO 2 had greater CO 2 use as concentrations increased. These species (and one unable to use HCO 3 − ) increased in abundance with elevated CO 2 whereas obligate calcifying species, and non-calcareous macroalgae whose CO 2 use did not increase consistently with concentration, declined in abundance. Physiological groupings provide a mechanistic understanding that will aid us in determining which species will benefit from ocean acidification and why.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-09-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-019-11693-W
Abstract: The term Blue Carbon (BC) was first coined a decade ago to describe the disproportionately large contribution of coastal vegetated ecosystems to global carbon sequestration. The role of BC in climate change mitigation and adaptation has now reached international prominence. To help prioritise future research, we assembled leading experts in the field to agree upon the top-ten pending questions in BC science. Understanding how climate change affects carbon accumulation in mature BC ecosystems and during their restoration was a high priority. Controversial questions included the role of carbonate and macroalgae in BC cycling, and the degree to which greenhouse gases are released following disturbance of BC ecosystems. Scientists seek improved precision of the extent of BC ecosystems techniques to determine BC provenance understanding of the factors that influence sequestration in BC ecosystems, with the corresponding value of BC and the management actions that are effective in enhancing this value. Overall this overview provides a comprehensive road map for the coming decades on future research in BC science.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2018
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2013.01.031
Abstract: While carbon capture and storage (CCS) is increasingly recognised as technologically possible, recent evidence from deep-sea CCS activities suggests that leakage from reservoirs may result in highly CO2 impacted biological communities. In contrast, shallow marine waters have higher primary productivity which may partially mitigate this leakage. We used natural CO2 seeps in shallow marine waters to assess if increased benthic primary productivity could capture and store CO2 leakage in areas targeted for CCS. We found that the productivity of seagrass communities (in situ, using natural CO2 seeps) and two in idual species (ex situ, Cymodocea serrulata and Halophila ovalis) increased with CO2 concentration, but only species with dense belowground biomass increased in abundance (e.g. C. serrulata). Importantly, the ratio of below:above ground biomass of seagrass communities increased fivefold, making seagrass good candidates to partially mitigate CO2 leakage from sub-seabed reservoirs, since they form carbon sinks that can be buried for millennia.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 27-01-2018
DOI: 10.1093/GBE/EVY003
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-10-2021
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.15899
Abstract: Ocean acidification (OA) is a major threat to the persistence of biogenic reefs throughout the world's ocean. Coralline algae are comprised of high magnesium calcite and have long been considered one of the most susceptible taxa to the negative impacts of OA. We summarize these impacts and explore the causes of variability in coralline algal responses using a review/qualitative assessment of all relevant literature, meta‐analysis, quantitative assessment of critical responses, and a discussion of physiological mechanisms and directions for future research. We find that most coralline algae experienced reduced abundance, calcification rates, recruitment rates, and declines in pH within the site of calcification in laboratory experiments simulating OA or at naturally elevated CO 2 sites. There were no other consistent physiological responses of coralline algae to simulated OA (e.g., photo‐physiology, mineralogy, and survival). Calcification/growth was the most frequently measured parameters in coralline algal OA research, and our meta‐analyses revealed greater declines in seawater pH were associated with significant decreases in calcification in adults and similar but nonsignificant trends for juveniles. Adults from the family Mesophyllumaceae also tended to be more robust to OA, though there was insufficient data to test similar trends for juveniles. OA was the dominant driver in the majority of laboratory experiments where other local or global drivers were assessed. The interaction between OA and any other single driver was often additive, though factors that changed pH at the surface of coralline algae (light, water motion, epiphytes) acted antagonistically or synergistically with OA more than any other drivers. With advances in experimental design and methodological techniques, we now understand that the physiology of coralline algal calcification largely dictates their responses to OA. However, significant challenges still remain, including improving the geographic and life‐history spread of research effort and a need for holistic assessments of physiology.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-07-2012
DOI: 10.1111/J.1365-2486.2012.02767.X
Abstract: Increased seawater p CO 2 , and in turn ‘ocean acidification’ (OA), is predicted to profoundly impact marine ecosystem ersity and function this century. Much research has already focussed on calcifying reef‐forming corals (Class: Anthozoa) that appear particularly susceptible to OA via reduced net calcification. However, here we show that OA‐like conditions can simultaneously enhance the ecological success of non‐calcifying anthozoans, which not only play key ecological and biogeochemical roles in present day benthic ecosystems but also represent a model organism should calcifying anthozoans exist as less calcified (soft‐bodied) forms in future oceans. Increased growth (abundance and size) of the sea anemone ( Anemonia viridis ) population was observed along a natural CO 2 gradient at Vulcano, Italy. Both gross photosynthesis ( P G ) and respiration (R) increased with p CO 2 indicating that the increased growth was, at least in part, fuelled by bottom up (CO 2 stimulation) of metabolism. The increase of P G outweighed that of R and the genetic identity of the symbiotic microalgae ( Symbiodinium spp.) remained unchanged (type A19) suggesting proximity to the vent site relieved CO 2 limitation of the anemones' symbiotic microalgal population. Our observations of enhanced productivity with p CO 2 , which are consistent with previous reports for some calcifying corals, convey an increase in fitness that may enable non‐calcifying anthozoans to thrive in future environments, i.e. higher seawater p CO 2 . Understanding how CO 2 ‐enhanced productivity of non‐ (and less‐) calcifying anthozoans applies more widely to tropical ecosystems is a priority where such organisms can dominate benthic ecosystems, in particular following localized anthropogenic stress.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 22-05-2015
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 18-06-2014
Abstract: Ideally, networks of marine protected areas should be designed with consideration for future changes. We examine how this could be tackled using the ex le of cold-water coral reefs which provide a number of ecosystem services but are vulnerable to both managed pressures (e.g. deep-water trawling) and unmanaged pressures (e.g. ocean acidification). We collated data on the known and predicted distribution of Northeast Atlantic coral reefs, their protected areas, and fishing effort. We modelled the effects of ocean acidification on aragonite saturation to examine whether existing protected areas will ensure adequate protection for cold-water coral reefs under four possible future scenarios across two models. The best-case scenario suggests only minor impacts of ocean acidification, and that trawling remains the main threat to these reefs. However, in the worst-case scenario, by 2060, over 85% of these reefs are expected to be exposed to corrosive waters. We argue that unmanaged pressures such as ocean acidification and global warming should be incorporated into marine management decisions, with a focus on the protection of cold-water coral reefs to ensure long-term survival of these habitats. A similar approach could be taken for other iconic marine habitats in the face of climate change.
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Jason Hall-Spencer.