Title:
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Impacts of ocean acidification and environmental copper on the harpacticoid copepod, Tisbe battagliai
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Ocean acidification (OA) presents a fundamental challenge to marine biodiversity and
sustained ecosystem health. Reproductive and developmental processes are considered
to be particularly vulnerable to OA. My PhD research examined reproductive response
(measured as nauplii production), cuticle composition and stage specific growth for the
copepod Tisbe battagliai over three generations at four tightly regulated pH conditions
(pH 7.67, 7.82, 7.95±0.02; pH 8.l±0.06) and for combined impact ofOA and
environmentally relevant copper concentrations. As part of my case studentship with the
MBA I also examined OA effects on spermatophore attachment and seminal fluid stores
in the female reproductive system. A significantly increased naupliar production at pH
7.95 was attributable to an initial stress response which was succeeded by a hormesis-
like response at pH 7.67. The significantly decreased naupliar production at pH 7.82
was the first part of a biphasic reproductive response followed by a compensatory
increase in naupliar production at pH 7.67 remaining below control levels. This pattern
was consistent across all generations and broods. A mixed effects model predicted a
gradual decline in naupliar production over the next 100 years (equivalent to
approximately 2,430 generations). Growth (mean length integrated across all
developmental stages) decreased significantly below control values at pH 7.82, and
7.67. Cuticle elemental analysis indicated significant alterations in oxygen and carbon
content as seawater pH decreased. Changes in growth, cuticle composition and nauplii
production strongly suggest that when under OA-induced stress copepods will
preferentially reallocate resources in favour of maintaining reproductive output at the
expense of somatic growth and cuticle integrity. Experiments incorporating additional
copper with increasing OA observed significantly increased naupliar production at pH
8.10, this was followed by a significant reduction in naupliar production beyond that of
OA alone from pH 7.95, to pH 7.82, and 7.67. Growth significantly increased with
addition of copper, compared to OA impact alone. Cuticle elemental composition
observed significant reductions in sulphur, phosphorus and calcium concentrations for
those copepods subjected to combined OA and copper. Copepods subjected to
additional copper with increasing OA were taking up copper which not only increased
metabolism observing a significant increase in growth, but also became toxic observed
with a significant further reduction in naupliar production. Addition of copper was seen
to have an additive detrimental effect on naupliar production and the copepod
population as observed from the mixed effects model output. Techniques developed in .
ii.
confocallaser scanning microscopy enabled the comparison of seminal fluid stores
within the female reproductive system. No significant differences were observed
between female reproductive structures and seminal fluid stores with increasing OA
from pH 8.1 0 to pH 7.67. Spermatophore size significantly decreased with increasing
OA, however to the same extent of female copepod size.
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