A new study found that increasing ocean acidification threatens the mussel population.
Susan Fitzer of the University of Glasgow and her colleagues experimented on common blue mussels to determine their reaction to changing levels of ocean acidification. The mussels were placed in laboratory tanks that were used for the simulation. The researchers altered the water's acidity levels four times; the acidity levels were based on projections for future decades.
The experiment showed that the increasing ocean acidification affected the mussels negatively. The shells of the mussels are made of calcium carbonate and organic material through a process called biomineralization -- combining the bicarbonate ions from ocean water with the mussels' own proteins. But as the ocean acidity level increases, the amount of bicarbonate ions decreases; and without the ions, mussels cannot form their shells, according to Phys.Org.
"What we found was that the calcite outer shells of the mussels past a certain threshold of acidity was stiffer and harder, making it more brittle and prone to fracture under pressure and the aragonite inner shell became softer," Dr Fitzer said in a press release.
The researchers plan to continue their study to include other marine species such as the oysters and the abalone.
WWF Scotland director Lang Banks expressed his concern about the environmental and economic impact of losing these marine species due to climate change. He was not involved in the study.
"This important research adds to our growing knowledge about the potential harmful impacts of climate change upon our marine environment," he told Yahoo News.
"While some marine species will be able to adapt, many others will not. This is not only bad news for those affected species, but bad news for any communities or businesses that depend upon those species for their livelihoods."
This study was published in the Dec. 24 issue of the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.
