Ocean acidification during pre-fertilization chemical communication affects sperm success

Ocean acidification (OA) poses a major threat to marine organisms, particularly during reproduction when externally shed gametes are vulnerable to changes in seawater pH. Accordingly, several studies on OA have focused on how changes in seawater pH influence sperm behaviour and/or rates of in vitro fertilization. By contrast, few studies have examined how pH influences pre-fertilization gamete interactions, which are crucial during natural spawning events in most externally fertilizing taxa. One mechanism of gamete interaction that forms an important component of fertilization in most taxa is communication between sperm and egg-derived chemicals. These chemical signals, along with the physiological responses in sperm they elicit, are likely to be highly sensitive to changes in seawater chemistry. In this study, we experimentally tested this possibility using the blue mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, a species in which females have been shown to use egg-derived chemicals to promote the...

海洋酸化（Ocean Acidification, OA）对海洋生物构成重大威胁，在繁殖阶段尤为突出——此时体外释放的配子极易受海水pH变化的影响。鉴于此，多项针对海洋酸化的研究均聚焦于海水pH变化如何影响精子行为及/或体外受精（in vitro fertilization）速率。与之相对，鲜有研究探讨pH对受精前配子互作的影响，而该过程在绝大多数体外受精类群的自然产卵事件中至关重要。在绝大多数类群的受精过程中，配子互作的一项核心机制是精子与卵源化学信号间的通讯交流。这些化学信号及其诱导的精子生理响应，极有可能对海水化学环境的变化高度敏感。本研究以蓝贻贝（Mytilus galloprovincialis）为实验材料，该物种已被证实雌性个体可利用卵源化学信号以促进……