Mussels Discovered Thriving in Extremely Acidic Water
Marine biologists have discovered a dense population of mussels (the vent mussel Bathymodiolus brevior, a common, edible bi-valve “shellfish”), carpeting the sides of a submarine volcano, which has survived–despite the highly acidic environment–for the past 40 years. The results of this study were reported in a recent, on-line edition of the Journal Nature Geoscience.
The acidification of ocean habitats due to increased absorption of CO2 (which reacts with water to form carbonic acid) has become an issue of great concern over the past decade. Shellfish and other marine species (like corals and snails) that make their “homes” or shells from carbonates of calcium (CaCO3), are vulnerable to more acidic waters. A lower ph (generally below 8 on the ph scale) marine environment makes calcium ions less available to these creatures to fabricate their fortifications against nature’s predators and chemical forces. The result of this acidic exposure in shellfish is typically a much thinner shell, thus making the creature more susceptible to predation and even disease (as in the case of many corals; see: ).
