Data from: Ocean acidification alters predator behaviour and reduces predation rate

Ocean acidification poses a range of threats to marine invertebrates; however, the emerging and likely widespread effects of rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels on marine invertebrate behaviour are still little understood. Here we show that ocean acidification alters and impairs key ecological behaviours of the predatory cone snail Conus marmoreus. Projected near-future seawater CO2 levels (975 µatm) increased activity in this coral reef molluscivore more than 3-fold (from <4 to >12 mm.min-1) and decreased the time spent buried to less than 1/3 when compared with present-day control conditions (390 µatm). Despite increasing activity, elevated CO2 reduced predation rate during predator-prey interactions with control-treated humpbacked conch, Gibberulus gibberulus gibbosus; 60% of control predators successfully captured and consumed their prey, compared with only 10% of elevated CO2 predators. The alteration of key ecological behaviours of predatory invertebrates by near-future ocean acidification could have potentially far-reaching implications for predator-prey interactions and trophic dynamics in marine ecosystems. Combined evidence that the behaviours of both species in this predator-prey relationship are altered by elevated CO2 suggests food web interactions and ecosystem structure will become increasingly difficult to predict as ocean acidification advances over coming decades.海洋酸化对海洋无脊椎动物构成多重威胁，但目前学界对二氧化碳（carbon dioxide, CO₂）浓度升高给海洋无脊椎动物行为带来的新兴且可能广泛存在的影响仍知之甚少。本研究显示，海洋酸化会改变并损害食肉芋螺（Conus marmoreus）的关键生态行为。与当前对照组条件（390 µatm）相比，预测的近未来海水CO₂浓度（975 µatm）可使这种珊瑚礁软体动物捕食者的活动量提升3倍以上（从不足4 mm·min⁻¹升至12 mm·min⁻¹以上），同时使其埋栖时间缩短至原水平的1/3以下。尽管活动量有所增加，但高浓度CO₂却降低了其与经对照组处理的驼背凤凰螺（Gibberulus gibberulus gibbosus）进行捕食互动时的捕食成功率：对照组捕食者中有60%成功捕获并取食猎物，而高浓度CO₂处理组捕食者的这一比例仅为10%。近未来海洋酸化对捕食性无脊椎动物关键生态行为的改变，可能对海洋生态系统中的捕食者-猎物互动与营养动态产生影响深远的潜在效应。本捕食者-猎物关系中两个物种的行为均受高浓度CO₂影响而改变的综合证据表明，随着未来数十年海洋酸化加剧，食物网互动与生态系统结构将愈发难以预测。