Will Climate Change Alter the Swimming Behavior of Larval Stone Crabs?: A Guided-Inquiry Lesson
The ocean has absorbed ~one third of the excess atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) released since the Industrial Revolution. When the ocean absorbs excess CO2, a series of chemical reactions occur that result in a reduction in seawater pH, a process called ocean acidification. The excess atmospheric C...
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Ubiquity Press
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Current: The Journal of Marine Education |
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| Online Access: | https://account.current-journal.com/index.php/up-j-ctjme/article/view/117 |
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| author | Abigail L. Smith Jessyca LaBadie Aly Busse Emilie Solomon Casie Farrell Daniel M. Holstein Zuo George Xue Philip M. Gravinese |
| author_facet | Abigail L. Smith Jessyca LaBadie Aly Busse Emilie Solomon Casie Farrell Daniel M. Holstein Zuo George Xue Philip M. Gravinese |
| author_sort | Abigail L. Smith |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The ocean has absorbed ~one third of the excess atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) released since the Industrial Revolution. When the ocean absorbs excess CO2, a series of chemical reactions occur that result in a reduction in seawater pH, a process called ocean acidification. The excess atmospheric CO2 is also resulting in warmer seawater temperatures. These stressors pose a threat to marine organisms, especially during earlier life stages (i.e., larvae). The larvae of species like the Florida stone crab (Menippe mercenaria) are free swimming, allowing a population to disperse and recruit into new habitats. After release, stone crab larvae undergo vertical swimming excursions in response to abiotic stimuli (gravity, light, pressure) allowing them to control their depth. Typically, newly hatched larvae respond to abiotic cues that would promote a shallower depth distribution, where surface currents can transport them offshore to complete development. As larvae develop offshore, they become less sensitive to certain abiotic stimuli, which promotes a deeper depth distribution that may expose them to variable current speeds, thus influencing the direction of advection (horizontal movement). Environmental stressors like ocean acidification and elevated seawater temperatures may also impact the larvae’s natural response to these abiotic stimuli throughout ontogeny (development). Changes in their natural swimming behavior due to climate stressors could, therefore, influence the transport and dispersal of the species. This guided-inquiry lesson challenges introductory marine biology and oceanography students to determine how future ocean pH and temperature projections could impact the swimming behavior of Florida stone crab larvae. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d06fd2f008d840908c19c6c62cda0b8c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2632-850X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Ubiquity Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Current: The Journal of Marine Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-d06fd2f008d840908c19c6c62cda0b8c2025-01-08T07:54:07ZengUbiquity PressCurrent: The Journal of Marine Education2632-850X2024-12-013923–123–1210.5334/cjme.117117Will Climate Change Alter the Swimming Behavior of Larval Stone Crabs?: A Guided-Inquiry LessonAbigail L. Smith0https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6106-482XJessyca LaBadie1Aly Busse2Emilie Solomon3Casie Farrell4Daniel M. Holstein5Zuo George Xue6Philip M. Gravinese7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8925-4167Education Coordinator for Mote Marine Laboratory, Summerland Key, FLFormer marine science educator for Mote Marine Laboratory, Summerland Key, FLEducation Research Program Manager for Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FLHigh school science teacher at The Benjamin School in Palm Beach Gardens, FLDirector of Argonauta Academy in Melbourne, FLAssistant Professor in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State UniversityAssociate Professor in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State UniversityAssistant Professor of Marine Science, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FLThe ocean has absorbed ~one third of the excess atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) released since the Industrial Revolution. When the ocean absorbs excess CO2, a series of chemical reactions occur that result in a reduction in seawater pH, a process called ocean acidification. The excess atmospheric CO2 is also resulting in warmer seawater temperatures. These stressors pose a threat to marine organisms, especially during earlier life stages (i.e., larvae). The larvae of species like the Florida stone crab (Menippe mercenaria) are free swimming, allowing a population to disperse and recruit into new habitats. After release, stone crab larvae undergo vertical swimming excursions in response to abiotic stimuli (gravity, light, pressure) allowing them to control their depth. Typically, newly hatched larvae respond to abiotic cues that would promote a shallower depth distribution, where surface currents can transport them offshore to complete development. As larvae develop offshore, they become less sensitive to certain abiotic stimuli, which promotes a deeper depth distribution that may expose them to variable current speeds, thus influencing the direction of advection (horizontal movement). Environmental stressors like ocean acidification and elevated seawater temperatures may also impact the larvae’s natural response to these abiotic stimuli throughout ontogeny (development). Changes in their natural swimming behavior due to climate stressors could, therefore, influence the transport and dispersal of the species. This guided-inquiry lesson challenges introductory marine biology and oceanography students to determine how future ocean pH and temperature projections could impact the swimming behavior of Florida stone crab larvae.https://account.current-journal.com/index.php/up-j-ctjme/article/view/117crusteaceanocean acidificationlarvaestone crab |
| spellingShingle | Abigail L. Smith Jessyca LaBadie Aly Busse Emilie Solomon Casie Farrell Daniel M. Holstein Zuo George Xue Philip M. Gravinese Will Climate Change Alter the Swimming Behavior of Larval Stone Crabs?: A Guided-Inquiry Lesson Current: The Journal of Marine Education crusteacean ocean acidification larvae stone crab |
| title | Will Climate Change Alter the Swimming Behavior of Larval Stone Crabs?: A Guided-Inquiry Lesson |
| title_full | Will Climate Change Alter the Swimming Behavior of Larval Stone Crabs?: A Guided-Inquiry Lesson |
| title_fullStr | Will Climate Change Alter the Swimming Behavior of Larval Stone Crabs?: A Guided-Inquiry Lesson |
| title_full_unstemmed | Will Climate Change Alter the Swimming Behavior of Larval Stone Crabs?: A Guided-Inquiry Lesson |
| title_short | Will Climate Change Alter the Swimming Behavior of Larval Stone Crabs?: A Guided-Inquiry Lesson |
| title_sort | will climate change alter the swimming behavior of larval stone crabs a guided inquiry lesson |
| topic | crusteacean ocean acidification larvae stone crab |
| url | https://account.current-journal.com/index.php/up-j-ctjme/article/view/117 |
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