Responses of native Hawaiian calcifying macroalgae to naturally occurring ocean acidification conditions

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dc.contributor.advisorMcDermid, Karla J.
dc.contributor.authorHart, Kendra
dc.contributor.departmentTropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science
dc.date.accessioned2016-09-07T19:51:37Z
dc.date.available2016-09-07T19:51:37Z
dc.date.issued2016-08
dc.description.abstractRising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels from anthropogenic emissions have elevated oceanic CO2 concentrations through air-sea exchange, which lowers pH and decreases calcium carbonate (CaCO3) saturation, including aragonite saturation (one of the mineral forms of CaCO3). These conditions, named ocean acidification (OA), impair the ability of calcifying marine algae to form CaCO3 and maintain physiological structures essential for growth, reproduction, and survival. In the Hawaiian Islands, submarine groundwater discharge (SGW) has high partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2), average concentration 3000 ppm. This study used natural variations in pCO2 caused by SGW to examine effects of lowered aragonite saturation on Native Hawaiian calcifying macroalgae: Halimeda macroloba (Chlorophyta), Padina australis (Phaeophyta), Dichotomaria marginata (Rhodophyta), and Galaxaura rugosa (Rhodophyta). Temperature, salinity, pH, total alkalinity, total CO2, pCO2, and aragonite saturation states were quantified at four sites on Hawaiʻi Island. Four calcifying algal species were transplanted within and between sites with differing pCO2 and aragonite saturation states. Percent CaCO3 content and photosynthetic activity were assessed before, during, and after transplantation. After ten days, all algal species showed a greater change in percent CaCO3 content at the experimental site, the site representative of OA conditions including high pCO2, low pH, and low aragonite saturation, than the corresponding control sites. Padina australis experienced the greatest percent change in CaCO3, -60% (± 63% propagation of error); whereas, G. rugosa experienced the least change, -4% (± 5% propagation of error). Photosynthetic activity in H. macroloba and G. rugosa had no significant change during transplant experiments; however, P. australis did have a significant change in photosynthetic activity at the experimental site, and thalli were dead by day ten. Halimeda and Galaxaura may be more resistant to OA than Padina. Different responses among the algal species may be related to differences in their morphology and anatomy. Results suggest that OA has the potential to shift nearshore macroalgal community structure and reduce biodiversity in the Hawaiian Islands.
dc.description.degreeM.S.
dc.description.institutionUniversity of Hawaii at Hilo
dc.format.extent59 pages
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10790/2862
dc.language.isoeng
dc.subjectClimate change
dc.subjectAquatic sciences
dc.subjectBiology
dc.subjectAragonite saturation
dc.subjectCalcification
dc.subjectClimate change
dc.subjectHawaii
dc.subjectMacroalgae
dc.subjectOcean acidification
dc.titleResponses of native Hawaiian calcifying macroalgae to naturally occurring ocean acidification conditions
dcterms.rightsAll UHH dissertations and theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission from the copyright owner.
local.identifier.alturihttp://dissertations.umi.com/hilo.hawaii:10109

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