Results from experiment examining the effects of low pH and low oxygen on life-history traits of three estuarine fish species: Temporal CO2-sensitivity; conducted at Southampton Marine Station from 2011-2015

<p>This study quantified the separate and combined effects of low pH and low oxygen on 4 vital early life-history traits (time- to-hatch, hatching success, post-hatch survival, and growth) of 3 ecologically important estuarine fish species (<em>Menidia beryllina, Menidia menidia</em>, and <em>Cyprinodon variegatus</em>).</p>

<p>Offspring were exposed from the egg through the early larval stages to ideal (pHT [pH total scale] = 7.9, DO [dissolved oxygen] = 9.0 mg per L), hypoxic (DO = 1.6−2.5 mg per L), acidified (pHT = 7.4), and hypoxic + acidified (pHT = 7.4, DO = 1.6−2.5 mg per L) conditions. Hypoxia alone significantly delayed hatching of embryos by 1 to 3 days and reduced hatching success of all 3 species by 24 to 80%. Acidification alone significantly depressed the survival of <em>M. beryllina</em>. Acidification and hypoxia had an additive negative effect on survival of<em> M. beryllina</em>, a seasonal, synergistic negative effect on survival of <em>M. menidia</em>, and no effect on survival of <em>C. variegatus</em>. Acidification and hypoxia had an additive negative effect on length of larval <em>M. beryllina</em>, while hypoxia alone significantly reduced length of <em>M. menidia</em> and <em>C. variegatus </em>from 15 to 45%. The study's findings suggest a greater sensitivity of early life estuarine fish to low oxygen compared to low pH conditions, while also demonstrating that the co-occurrence of both stressors can yield both additive and synergistic negative effects on survival and other fitness-related traits.</p>

<p>This dataset provides the source data to:<br />
Depasquale, Elizabeth; Baumann, Hannes, and Gobler, Christopher. 2015. Vulnerability of early life stage Northwest Atlantic forage fish to ocean acidification and low oxygen. Marine Ecology Progress Series in press, doi: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps11142\" target=\"_blank\">10.3354/meps11142</a></p>