Insights on the implications of climate change for marine bioluminescence
Abstract
Climate change and ocean acidification are causing rapid changes and shifts in marine communities worldwide (Johnson et al., 2011; Doney et al., 2012; Beaugrand et al., 2014). Since most marine phyla possess bioluminescent species, climate change is expectedto be having significant impacts on the bioluminescence potential of marine systems as well. However, very few studies have looked at the effects of climate change on bioluminescence potential and oceanic distributions of responsible organisms. To study the effects climate change will have on the bioluminescence emissions and flash kinetics of planktonic organisms, we propose a two-fold project. The first phase of this project willconsist of a series of benchtop laboratory experiments carefully studying variations in first flash kinetics following changes in isolated water environmental parameters, specifically temperature,salinity and pH. These are the environmental parameters most susceptible to climate change. Flash kinetics will be measured in the lab for at least five species of dinoflagellates (Noctiluca scintillans,Pyrocystis noctiluca, Pyrodinium bahamense, Lingulodinium polyedrum and Tripos sp.) and the invasive ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi. These species have been selected to provide a wide range offlash kinetics and bioluminescence responses while having global ecological relevance. The second phase of this proposed project will involve extending thelab analyses to the field. Oceanic regions most affected by climate change are at high latitudes; within these regions, themost work on bioluminescence has been carried out around the Norwegian Sea. We propose two separate field efforts, one during the polar summer and the other during polar night, in Vestfjord,Norway, a broad fjord about 80 km wide at the mouth that is part of the Norwegian Sea. We will generate an emission kinetic library for different organisms assessed. Relationships between CTD,chlorophyll a, and particle scattering parameters and bioluminescence emissions will be assessed. With the data collected, we will then be able to comparewith previous studies reportingbioluminescent species composition and, in some cases, bioluminescence emissions. With the assays wewill conduct assessing temperature effects on bioluminescence emissions for the dominant species, we will then be able to use existing water temperature records from all over the Norwegian Sea region dating back over 100 years to assess long term changes in bioluminescence emissions in the region. Our species composition observations can also be compared with long term records of plankton composition. These field efforts will allow us to 1) identify what bioluminescent zooplankton species are present at varying depthsof the Norwegian Sea at different times of night and season, 2) understandhow the relative contributions to total bioluminescence of the main taxa (e.g., dinoflagellates, copepods, larvaceans, cnidarians, ctenophores, euphausiids) change with depth, and 3) describe howthe relative and absolute bioluminescence emissions in the Norwegian Sea have changed over time, extending back at least 100 ybased on available water temperature records.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 08, 2024
- Source ID
- N000142412158
Entities
People
- Mike Twardowski
Organizations
- Florida Atlantic University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy