Off the coast of Ischia, Italy, underwater volcanic vents release carbon dioxide gas into the surrounding seawater and lower the pH to cause local acidification. Dr. Andréa Grottoli and her graduate student Ann Marie Hulver along with their collaborator Dr. Nuria Teixido are studying how two species of corals, Cladocora caespitosa and Astroides calycularis, cope with natural acidification at these carbon dioxide vents. One hypothesis is that corals in locally acidified sites are feeding more on zooplankton to compensate for the increased energy needed to live in low pH environments. This research will help predict how these corals will survive in the future oceans with lower pH due to ocean acidification.
This month Dr. Grottoli and Ann Marie travelled to Ischia, Italy for a week of fieldwork. While in Ischia they collected corals, water samples, and zooplankton to analyze back in the lab at Ohio State for one chapter of Ann Marie’s PhD. All work was performed under approved collection and CITES permits.
