Data accompanying: Crustose coralline algae display sensitivity to near future global ocean change scenarios

Most research investigating how ocean warming and acidification will impact marine species has focused on visually dominant species, such as kelps and corals, while ignoring visually cryptic species such as crustose coralline algae (CCA). CCA are important keystone species that provide settlement cues for invertebrate larvae and can be highly sensitive to global ocean change. However, few studies have assessed how CCA respond to low emission scenarios or conditions. In a laboratory experiment, we examined the responses of temperate CCA assemblages to combined warming and acidification projected under low, medium, and high emissions. Net calcification and net photosynthesis significantly declined in all emissions scenarios, while significant reductions in relative growth rates and increases in percentage bleaching were observed in the highest emission scenario. The negative responses of CCA to both low and medium emissions suggest that they may be adversely impacted by combined warming and acidification by 2030 if current emissions are sustained. This will have far reaching consequences for commercially important invertebrates that rely on them to induce settlement of larvae. These findings highlight the need to take rapid action to preserve these critical keystone species and the valuable services they provide.

当前探讨海洋变暖与酸化对海洋物种影响的相关研究，多聚焦于视觉优势物种（如巨藻与珊瑚），却忽视了壳状珊瑚藻（crustose coralline algae, CCA）这类视觉隐蔽物种。壳状珊瑚藻是重要的关键种，可为无脊椎动物幼虫提供附着诱导信号，且对全球海洋环境变化极为敏感。然而，鲜有研究评估壳状珊瑚藻对低排放情景的响应情况。本研究通过室内受控实验，探究了温带壳状珊瑚藻群落在低、中、高三种排放情景下预测的升温与酸化联合胁迫条件下的响应特征。结果显示，所有排放情景中，群落的净钙化速率与净光合速率均显著下降；而在最高排放情景下，其相对生长率显著降低，白化占比显著升高。壳状珊瑚藻对低、中排放情景均表现出负面响应，这表明若当前排放水平持续，到2030年，升温与酸化的联合胁迫或会对其产生不利影响。这将对依赖其提供幼虫附着诱导信号的具有经济重要性的无脊椎动物造成深远影响。本研究结果凸显了需采取快速行动以保护这些关键物种及其所提供的宝贵生态服务的必要性。