Ocean Acidification In Crabs

Brine Shrimp are a micro-crustacean that is found mostly in inland saltwater bodies, however, the salinity levels that they live in vary greatly. The conditions that they require can be made at home as the eggs (cysts) of the shrimp are dry, hard shells that can withstand drought and go without water for up to 50 years. This study presents the results of 3 different salinity levelled environments to the Brine shrimp in order to discover a salinity level that produces the most successful hatching rate. By filling 3 Petri dishes with 20mL’s of purified water, each dish contained varying sodium chloride amounts from 15ppt, 25ppt, and

The purpose of this lab was to answer the question, “Of the saline solutions of 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% sodium chloride (NaCl), which solution will yield the highest hatching viability for the brine shrimp?” The hypothesis was that the saline solution most precise to the concentration of NaCl in seawater, which is approximately 3.5%, will yield the highest hatching viability. Therefore, the 2% NaCl solution will yield the highest hatching viability.

Ph Gradient: We proceeded to fill and measure the tubing as we did in the previous step. After we had our equipment set up and the tygon tubing filled with water and adult brine shrimp we removed 1ml of water from each end of the tygon tubing and replaced it in one end with 1ml or 20 drops of .1m HCL (acid) and in the other 1ml or 20 drops of .1 NaOH (base). We then allowed them to move about for 30 minutes and then closed the clamps. We then counted the number of

“Since the beginning of the industrial era, the ocean has absorbed some 525 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere, presently around 22 million tons per day” (Ocean Portal, n.d). This number is expected to increase forevermore as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase and the effects of Climate Change worsen. At first, the idea of our oceans absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere may sound great, however, scientists have been quick to learn otherwise. High concentrations of carbon dioxide in oceans can have detrimental effects on the ocean chemistry and marine ecosystems (Hardt; Safina, 2008). Marine ecosystems are greatly complex and depend on every marine organism to function properly, any change can put the whole ecosystem at risk. For example, the increase of carbon dioxide in our oceans is responsible for the dissolving of “brittle star” skeletal parts, which has in effect caused food scarcity for many fish, crabs, shrimp, and other starfish (Leu, 2013). Furthermore, these marine ecosystems are very important to humans- being the primary food source for millions around the world and having an economic market worth trillions of dollars (Hardt; Safina, 2008). Part of keeping these ecosystems safe is to understand how they work and how projected changes can harm marine organisms.

Therefore this experiment was to determine that lobsters in various salinities will osmoconform to their environment. In order to test that lobster's osmoconform, we had to extract approximately 1.0 ml hemolymph from their hemocyannin on the ventral first section of the pre-branchial region. The hemolymph was spun for three minutes in a microcentrifuge and the serum was then tested on an osmometer, which determined the osmolarity of the hemolymph. The results substantiated the hypothesis, in that, lobsters internal osmoles fluctuate with the salinity of the external environment. The two lobsters in the low salinity tank had the lowest osmolarity 0.746 osmoles; the two lobsters in the normal salinity had 0.873 osmoles. The last tank with the highest salinity had the lobsters with the highest osmolarity at 1.445 osmoles. Therefore our data suggests that lobster's osmoconform, with respect to the salinity of their environment by readjusting their intracellular solute concentration to prevent swelling or dehydration because the osmolarity of their hemolymph dictates that of the environment.

Green crabs are found in shallow ocean waters and they have a preference for sheltered areas. They are an aggressive and territorial crab species (CBC, 2012). Although this species is known as the “green crab”, they are not always green. In fact, this species of crab can range from a variety of colors such as red, orange, brown, blue and yellow; the colors often depend on when the crab last exuviated. Due to the fact that green crabs cannot be distinguished solely by color, they are often confused with other crab species such as the rock crab. A few ways to distinguish the European green crab from other crabs is by 5 pointy spines which are located on the front end of the carapace on either side of the eye as cited by GOV, (2013) and 3 rounded lobes located between the eyes. European green crabs are also distinguished by their claws of different sizes and the way the tips of its back legs are pointed, flattened and hairy. A European green crab generally doesn’t surpass 4 inches (appx. 100 mm) and an average green crab is approximately 2.5 inches (appx. 63 mm) (Peters et al. 2004). Male green crabs typically range from 40-70mm whereas female green crabs ranged from 40-65mm. If these crabs, male or female, surpassed their average size they were classified as old adults (Yamada and Gillespie, 2008). The adult green crab can survive out of the water for

As previously mentioned Blue Crabs are highly susceptible to changes in environmental conditions. As an example, larvae require high salinity waters. Larvae require salinity of at least 20 ppt and below that threshold, there is poor likelihood of survival ability.

The American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) has persisted largely unaltered for millions of years (Smith et al., 2006), and has ancestors that date back 450 million years ago (Swan, 2005). They belong to the genus Limulaceae, and are an ancient group of aquatic merostome arthropods (Sekiguichi, K., and Shuster J., 2011). Limulus polyphemus inhabits the eastern coast of the United States (Goode and Wahle, n.d., Swan, 2005). It ranges from the Yucatan Peninsula to the Gulf of Mexico (Moore and Perkin, 2007 (Shuster, 1979), about 42 to 19° N (Botton, 2003). Limulus polyphemus are found within estuaries, coastal embayments, and on the inshore continental shelves near the mouths of estuaries, usually in waters that are less than 30 meters

“Horseshoe crabs are some of the most successful life forms on earth.” They have been around for over 445 million years. Longer than even the pesky cockroaches. They have a blood that turns to jelly, creating a barrier between them and pathogens, keeping them safe from any diseases. But for the physical harm, they have adapted a hard shell or carapace to protect them from attacks. Horseshoe crabs also have gills as thin as the pages of a book, allowing them to breathe out of water for as long as they are wet. This is especially good for spawning. Speaking of which, they can also produce 90,000 fertile eggs a year, increasing the population. They seem unstoppable.

The blue crab population in the Chesapeake Bay was considered to be a surplus from the 1950s to around the 2000s as well as in the Bay’s tributaries (Stagg & Whilden, 1997). The blue crabs in Maryland live for about three years (Stagg & Whilden, 1997). This is part of the reason that it’s so important that a high level of blue crabs is maintained so that they’ll be able to produce offspring future generations. Approximately 75% of the entire blue crab population is made up of the crabs in Maryland (Lui, 2015).

The article that I read studied how ocean acidification alters the ear stone size and density of cobia. Cobia is used frequently in studies “and had a significant ecologic and economic value.” The study looked at the implications for sensory functions by studying the ear stone (otoliths) size and density of larval cobia. The highest concern due to the effects of acidification on cobia is related to larval development. “During this phase, the sensory abilities of larval fishes are important determinants of survival and untimely influence the persistence of viable populations.” The article was published in 2013. Prior to its publication, studies about the affects of ocean acidification on ear stone sizes

Although ocean acidification is affecting the entire world’s oceans, a noticeable effect it is causing would be the major effect it is having on oyster farms in Oregon and Washington. Since about 2006 up to 80% of oyster larvae have started to die-off (Grossman). The young oyster are very vulnerable to their environmental conditions during the first few days of their lives because this is when the oysters are developing the most. Therefore the inability for these oyster to develop is a sign that there is a big change in the oceans conditions. When the pH level of the ocean becomes too low, the young oysters’ shells start to break apart and oyster larvae start to die, this causes hatcheries to be left with nothing to distribute. Not only is

After 3 days in the diluted seawater the crab’s haemolymph Sodium levels were significantly lower (p<0.001) than the crabs stored in full strength seawater as seen in figure 3. There was no significant difference between the mean haemolymph Sodium values of the three dilutions at 75%, 50% and 25%.

The world we live in is so vast and exciting. Seventy percent of our world is liquid water we call the ocean. In the ocean there are many creatures that each are unique in their own way. However, it is possible that in our lifetime, many marine organisms will become endangered or possibly extinct. The loss of these mejestic marine creatures will be caused mainly because of human advancements in which fossil fuels are used to produce energy. Biodiversity is greatly affected by this increase in acidity. As the ocean acidifies, multiple social and economic issues arise. As humans, we rely on the ocean for almost everything. Much of our food, clothing, cleaning products and cosmetics come from the ocean. With the loss of

Two crab species, Plagusia and Cyclograpsus, were collected from a local estuary in the littoral and deep water zone for osmoregulation studies. To examine differences in osmoregulatory mechanisms among the species, haemolymph of the specimens was extracted once they were acclimated to varying concentrations of seawater. Using the comparative melting-point, capillary tubes were filled with small samples of seawater and blood then frozen and melted in a -15˚C ethanol bath. The melting time of each was observed thereafter. Subject’s time range fell over 17 minutes of which the majority of the most salinated samples melted