Tough as a rock-boring urchin: adult Echinometra sp. EE from the Red Sea show high resistance to ocean acidification over long-term exposures

Ocean acidification, a process caused by the continuous rise of atmospheric CO2 levels, is expected to have a profound impact on marine invertebrates. Findings of the numerous studies conducted in this field indicate high variability in species responses to future ocean conditions. This study aimed at understanding the effects of long-term exposure to elevated pCO2 conditions on the performance of adult Echinometra sp. EE from the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea). During an 11-month incubation under high pCO2 (1,433 µatm, pHNBS 7.7) and control (435 µatm, pHNBS 8.1) conditions, we examined the urchins' somatic and gonadal growth, gametogenesis and skeletal microstructure. Somatic and gonadal growths were exhibited with no significant differences between the treatments. In addition, all urchins in the experiment completed a full reproductive cycle, typical of natural populations, with no detectable impact of increased pCO2 on the timing, duration or progression of the cycle. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy imaging of urchin tests and spines revealed no signs of the usual observed effects of acidosis, such as skeletal dissolution, widened stereom pores or non-smoothed structures. Our results, which yielded no significant impact of the high pCO2 treatment on any of the examined processes in the urchins studied, suggest high resistance of adult Echinometra sp. EE to near future ocean acidification conditions. With respect to other findings in this area, the outcome of this study provides an example of the complicated and diverse responses of echinoids to the predicted environmental changes.

Maintenance of coelomic fluid pH in sea urchins exposed to elevated CO2: the role of body cavity epithelia and stereom dissolution

Experimental ocean acidification leads to a shift in resource allocation and to an increased [HCO3-] within the perivisceral coelomic fluid (PCF) in the Baltic green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis. We investigated putative mechanisms of this pH compensation reaction by evaluating epithelial barrier function and the magnitude of skeleton (stereom) dissolution. In addition, we measured ossicle growth and skeletal stability. Ussing chamber measurements revealed that the intestine formed a barrier for HCO3- and was selective for cation diffusion. In contrast, the peritoneal epithelium was leaky and only formed a barrier for macromolecules. The ossicles of 6 week high CO2-acclimatised sea urchins revealed minor carbonate dissolution, reduced growth but unchanged stability. On the other hand, spines dissolved more severely and were more fragile following acclimatisation to high CO2. Our results indicate that epithelia lining the PCF space contribute to its acid-base regulation. The intestine prevents HCO3- diffusion and thus buffer leakage. In contrast, the leaky peritoneal epithelium allows buffer generation via carbonate dissolution from the surrounding skeletal ossicles. Long-term extracellular acid-base balance must be mediated by active processes, as sea urchins can maintain relatively high extracellular [HCO3-]. The intestinal epithelia are good candidate tissues for this active net import of HCO3- into the PCF. Spines appear to be more vulnerable to ocean acidification which might significantly impact resistance to predation pressure and thus influence fitness of this keystone species.

Pollen profile from sediment core KB1, Holzminden, Northern Germany

The Nachtigall clay pit near Holzminden, northern Germany, is located in a subrosional basin filled with 43 m of interglacial, interstadial and stadial deposits adjacent to the Weser River. The succession separates the Older Middle Terrace from the Younger Middle Terrace of the Weser River. Nachtigall core KB1 (1998) mainly contains silt and clay with intercalated peat layers. The layers of fen peat and intercalated humic silt are between 36 and 22.5 m depth. According to palynological studies, the peat layers and some humic silts were deposited during interglacial and interstadial periods marked by forest vegetation, termed Nachtigall 1 and Nachtigall 2. They are subdivided by a stadial, termed Albaxen. The peat of Nachtigall 1 is interrupted twice by silt and clay strata (Allochthonous Unit I, II) which are reworked sediments of older glacial periods, possibly of late Elsterian or early Holsteinian age. The palynological sequences of Nachtigall and Göttingen/Ottostrasse show the same pattern. Moreover, the contemporaneous pollen profiles of Nachtigall and Göttingen/Ottostrasse can be compared with the Velay pollen sequence (France). The Nachtigall core section 36-26.02 m corresponds to Bouchet 2 - Bonnefond - Bouchet 3 in Velay. The profiles of Velay and Nachtigall are independently correlated to the MIS-timescale and correspond to MIS 7c, 7b, and 7a. TIMS 230Th/U-dating shows ages ranging from 227 + 9/-8 to 201 + 15/-13 ka, which are in good agreement with the inferred MIS 7 age.

Investigation of microfossils on sediment core CRP-2 from the Ross Sea, Antarctica

Marine diatoms are the primary biostratigraphical and paleoenvironmental tool for interpreting the upper Palaeogene and lower Neogene strata recovered during the second drilling season of the Cape Roberts Project at site CRP-2 in the western Ross Sea, Antarctica. Silicoflagellates, ebridians, and a chrysophyte cyst provide supporting biostratigraphical information. More than 100 dominantly planktic diatom taxa are recognised. Of these, more than 30 are treated informally, pending SEM examination and formal description. Many other taxa are noted only to generic level. Lower Oligocene (c. 31 Ma) through lower Miocene (c. 18.5 Ma) diatoms occur from 28 mbsf down to 565 mbsf. Below this level, to the bottom of the hole at 624.15 mbsf, diatom assemblages are poorly-preserved and many samples are barren. A biostratigraphic zonal framework, consisting of ten diatom zones, is proposed for the Antarctic continental shelf. Ages inferred from the diatom biostratigraphy correspond well with geochronological data from argon dating of volcanic materials and strontium dating of calcareous macrofossils, as well as nannofossil biochronological datums. The biochronostratigraphical record from CRP-2/2A provides an important record of diatom events and mid-Cenozoic environmental changes in the Antarctic neritic zone.

Planktonic foraminifera and microfossil composition of IODP Hole 302-M0004C

Calcareous microfossils are widely used by paleoceanographers to investigate past sea-surface hydrology. Among these microfossils, planktonic foraminifera are probably the most extensively used tool (e.g. [1] for a review), as they are easy to extract from the sediment and can also be used for coupled geochemical (e.g; d18O, d13C, Mg/Ca) and paleo-ecological investigations. Planktonic foraminifera are marine protists, which build a calcareous shell made of several chambers which reflect in their chemistry the properties of the ambient water-masses. Planktonic foraminifera are known to thrive in various habitats, distributed not only along a latitudinal gradient, but also along different water-depth intervals within surface waters (0-1000 m). Regarding their biogeographical distribution, planktonic foraminifera assemblages therefore mirror different water-masses properties, such as temperature, salinity and nutrient content of the surface water in which they live. The investigation of the specific composition of a fossil assemblage (relative abundances) is therefore a way to empirically obtain (paleo)information on past variations of sea-surface hydrological parameters. This paper focuses on the planktonic foraminifera record from the Arctic domain. This polar region records peculiar sea-surface conditions, with the influence of nearly perennial sea-ice cover development. This has strong impact on living foraminifera populations and on the preservation of their shells in the underlying sediments.