a consequence of neurotransmitter interference

Ocean acidification is one of the most pressing environmental concerns of our time, and not surprisingly, we have seen a recent explosion of research into the physiological impacts and ecological consequences of changes in ocean chemistry. We are gaining considerable insights from this work, but further advances require greater integration across disciplines. Here, we showed that projected near-future CO2 levels impaired the ability of damselfish to learn the identity of predators. These effects stem from impaired neurotransmitter function; impaired learning under elevated CO2 was reversed when fish were treated with gabazine, an antagonist of the GABA-A receptor - a major inhibitory neurotransmitter receptor in the brain of vertebrates. The effects of CO2 on learning and the link to neurotransmitter interference were manifested as major differences in survival for fish released into the wild. Lower survival under elevated CO2 , as a result of impaired learning, could have a major influence on population recruitment.

海洋酸化是当今最紧迫的环境问题之一，毫不意外的是，近期针对海洋化学变化的生理影响与生态后果的研究呈爆发式增长。我们从这些研究中获得了大量洞见，但进一步的进展需要更深入的跨学科整合。在此，我们发现，预测的近未来二氧化碳水平会损害雀鲷（damselfish）识别捕食者身份的能力。这些效应源于神经递质功能受损；当用加巴喷丁（gabazine）处理鱼类时，高二氧化碳水平下的学习障碍得以逆转——加巴喷丁是γ-氨基丁酸A型受体（GABA-A receptor）的拮抗剂，而γ-氨基丁酸A型受体是脊椎动物大脑中主要的抑制性神经递质受体。二氧化碳对学习的影响及其与神经递质干扰的关联，在放归野外的鱼类存活率上体现为显著差异。由于学习能力受损，高二氧化碳水平下鱼类存活率降低，这可能对种群补充产生重大影响。