Effects of enhanced pCO2 and temperature on reproduction and survival of the copepod Calanus sinicus

Abstract

We tested the combined effects of increased partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) and temperature on the reproduction and survival of the copepod Calanus sinicus from Asan Bay, the Yellow Sea under laboratory conditions to understand the impact of acidification on copepods. Egg production rate, survival rate, and fecal pellet production of C. sinicus were not affected by 1305 ppm pCO2 or with combined treatments of temperature and pCO2, including 8ºC and 289 ppm pCO2 (ambient), 8ºC and 753 ppm pCO2 (high pCO2), 12ºC and 289 ppm pCO2 (high temperature), and 12ºC and 753 ppm pCO2 (greenhouse), for 5 or 10 d of exposure. However, egg hatching success of C. sinicus decreased significantly in the greenhouse treatment compared with the ambient or the high pCO2 treatments. These results suggest that a combined treatment (pCO2 and temperature) affected egg viability more than a single treatment (pCO2).