Abstract

Ocean Acidification (OA) is altering the chemistry of the world’s abysses at rates unequaled in the once roughly 1 million times. Understanding the impacts of this rapid-fire change in birth carbonate chemistry on marine organisms needs a precise, mechanistic understanding of physiological responses to carbonate chemistry. Recent experimental work has shown shell development and growth in some bivalve naiads, have direct perceptivity to calcium carbonate achromatism state that isn’t modulated through organismal acid- base chemistry. To understand different modes of action of OA on bivalve naiads, we experimentally tested how pH, PCO2, and achromatic state singly affect shell growth and development, respiration rate, and inauguration of feeding in Mytilus californianus embryos and naiads. We set up,as proved in other bivalve naiads, that shell development and growth were affected by aragonite achromatism state,and not by pH or PCO2. Respiration rate was elevated under veritably low Ph with no change between pH of 83 to 78.