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存在多重威胁，但目前学界对二氧化碳（CO₂）浓度升高引发的、可能广泛存在的海洋无脊椎动物行为变化仍缺乏深入认知。本研究证实，海洋酸化会改变并损害捕食性芋螺（Conus marmoreus）的关键生态行为。与当前对照条件（390 µatm）相比，预测的近未来海水CO₂浓度（975 µatm）可使这类珊瑚礁食软体动物的螺类活动量提升3倍以上（从不足4 mm·min⁻¹增至12 mm·min⁻¹以上），同时将其埋栖时间缩短至原水平的1/3以下。尽管活动量显著提升，但高CO₂浓度环境下，该捕食者与经对照处理的驼背凤凰螺（Gibberulus gibberulus gibbosus）开展捕食互动时，捕食成功率却明显下降：对照组捕食者成功捕获并取食猎物的比例达60%，而高CO₂浓度组仅为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-猎物互动及营养动态产生潜在的深远影响。现有证据显示，该捕食者-猎物关系中的两个物种种群行为均会因CO₂浓度升高而发生改变，这意味着随着未来数十年海洋酸化的持续发展，食物网互动与生态系统结构将愈发难以预测。