The impact of climate change on marine ecosystems. Sonatina 5 project at UG

Climate change threatens the transformation of calcareous shell formation in marine invertebrates, a key component of ocean functioning. Research under the project by a PhD student from UG aims to clarify to what extent the environment affects the production of carbonate shells, and what the survival potential of such organisms is in the face of climate change.

In the fifth edition of the competition, young researchers from all over Poland submitted 160 applications to NCN for the total amount of over PLN 100 million. NCN experts directed 52 of them, worth nearly PLN 34 million, to be financed, which means the success rate was 32.5%. The success rate for the University of Gdańsk was 50%. Four out of eight submitted applications at the University of Gdańsk received funding. Nearly PLN 1 million was awarded to the DEEPER - The geochemical and mineralogical variability of calcifying fauna along the gradient of calcium

carbonate saturation state as a key to understand the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems, by dr Anna Sylwia Piwoni-Piórewicz from the Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdańsk.

CO2 emissions

Anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are the most important manifestation of modern climate change. - 'The oceans play an important role in cleaning up the atmosphere, as they absorb about 24% of the CO2 produced by man, so they act as "our protection" against progressive climate change,' says dr Anna Sylwia Piwoni-Póirewicz. It turns out that the rapid increase in emissions of this gas causes so much of it to dissolve in the oceans that elements of marine ecosystems begin to feel the negative effects of this process. - 'The response of the marine environment to increased CO2 is a reduction in the pH of the water, and thus a reduction in the water's saturation state with calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which plays a fundamental role in the process of building carbonate crusts by calcareous organisms (invertebrates such as bivalves, snails, corals, starfish, sea urchins, bryozoans, brachiopods and forams, which function on their ability to form calcium shells). Therefore, climate change poses a threat in the form of changes in the rate of calcification, composition and ultrastructures of the shells, which may furthermore lead to their destruction,' explains dr Anna Sylwia Piwoni-Piórewicz.

Calcareous organisms are found worldwide in almost every environment, at any depth and latitude, and are represented by both benthic and pelagic zone species, undoubtedly being a key element in the functioning of the oceans. - 'The main objective of the presented project is to investigate to what extent the environment influences the production of carbonate shells and what is the survival potential of calcareous organisms in the face of climate change,' argues dr Anna Sylwia Piwoni-Piórewicz.

Research and New Zealand

The topics presented in the project are a continuation of her previous research. The researcher's PhD thesis was based on mineralogical and biogeochemical analyses of calcifying organisms. As a marine biologist, she specialises in marine ecology, i.e. the relationship between organisms and their surrounding environment. She has also worked in projects on the process of calcification, or the formation of carbonate shells by marine organisms. - 'This project, however, will be a bit different, as I have added phylogenetic analyses, so I will be able to find out what is the adaptive capacity of organisms to new environmental conditions dictated by climate change,' she explains. The research presented will be interdisciplinary, drawing from fields relevant to the impact of CO2 on the calcification process, i.e. biomineralogy, biogeochemistry and phylogeny.

A strong aspect of the research is the analysis of skeletal structures of organisms along a water saturation gradient of CaCO3, extending from 0 to over 5000 m depth. - 'Such unique results will allow assessment of the impact of human-induced climate change on marine ecosystems. This is of great value in managing marine resources and lobbying for CO2 emission reductions,' explains the researcher. - 'The characterisation of deep-sea organisms will be an invaluable contribution to the field of calcification. The study region will be New Zealand, an environmentally complex region, which will allow us to generate predictions for other marine locations, including at different latitudes,' she adds.

Photo: NIWA New Zealand Institute, from the Bountiful Bryozoans album

 

Ewa K.Cichocka / Press Office UG