Pteropods

3 Responses to Pteropods

1. Gail Buckland says:

   September 28, 2010 at 1:14 pm

   Thank you. You explained this so clearly.

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2. Boris says:

   September 28, 2010 at 2:15 pm

   Comeau et al. recently tested aragonite production in Kongsfjorden pteropods at various atmospheric CO2 concentrations in the laboratory. They found the precipitation rate somewhat more resilient to high CO2 levels than expected; however even at 380 µatm of CO2 calcium uptake (into the shells) was significantly inhibited vs. “preindustrial” atmospheric values and at higher CO2 values calcium uptake ceased. (Comeau S, Jeffree R, Teyssié J-L, Gattuso J-P (2010) Response of the Arctic Pteropod Limacina helicina to Projected Future Environmental Conditions. PLoS ONE 5(6). Free online at http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0011362 ). They point out that the situation is quite complex however: even if shell growth at the edges can be maintained, shell dissolution elsewhere can occur. Moreover seasonal variations in acidity occur in arctic waters and any short-term laboratory result may not reflect the pteropod’s ability to survive over the year, in the wild.

   Nb.: I have never before seen them swimming – they absolutely remind me of my childhood images of what a soul would look like – little souls soaring through arctic dreams.

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3. Bethan says:

   October 2, 2010 at 2:47 pm

   Really enjoyed this video, Debora. Like Boris above noted, it was fantastic to see a pteropod swimming. I have only seen pictures of them before.

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