Physiological responses of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) exposed to increased carbon dioxide and reduced seawater salinities.

Background: The iono- and osmoregulatory capacities of marine teleosts, such as European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) are expected to be challenged by high carbon dioxide exposure, and the adverse effects of elevated CO could be amplified when such fish migrate into less buffered hypo-osmotic estuarine environments. Therefore, the effects of increased CO on the physiological responses of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) acclimated to 32 ppt, 10 ppt and 2.5 ppt were investigated.

Physiological trade-offs, acid-base balance and ion-osmoregulatory plasticity in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles under complex scenarios of salinity variation, ocean acidification and high ammonia challenge.

In this era of global climate change, ocean acidification is becoming a serious threat to the marine ecosystem. Despite this, it remains almost unknown how fish will respond to the co-occurrence of ocean acidification with other conventional environmental perturbations typically salinity fluctuation and high ammonia threat. Therefore, the present work evaluated the interactive effects of elevated pCO, salinity reduction and high environmental ammonia (HEA) on the ecophysiological performance of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax).