Award: PLR-1246202

This project, conducted by scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), was designed to examine how an important member of the marine food chain in the Antarctic would respond to changes in temperature and pH in its ocean environment. The project was conducted at McMurdo Station, one of the U.S. research stations in Antarctica. While there in the summer field seasons, we collected pteropods, a small invertebrate animal called Limacina helicina antarctica. Limacina is a sea butterfly, it has a fragile whorled shell, and is an important food source for Antarctic fish. Limacina itself is an herbivore and consumes plankton in the water column, and then transfers that energy to predators higher up the food chain. In our studies we were exploring how Limacina would respond to ocean warming and changes in ocean chemistry. We conducted experiments at the Crary Laboratories at McMurdo Station and found that low pH affected the shells of the pteropods; here we would see some dissolution of the shell. In more physiological studies using analysis of gene expression, we found that pteropods were stressed by low pH and high temperature, and respond to these changes in their environment by adjusting their gene expression. Overall, we found that although pteropods can respond to stress in their physical environment, this stress likely has a negative impact on this important food source in Antarctic waters. One other important aspect of this project was that it was conducted by UCSB graduate students, early career scientists who were developing their skills while doing research on the project . Notably, two of these students received their PhDs while as a result of the pteropod project, and another two students gained invaluable experience. Overall, this project supported Antarctic marine science, increased our knowledge of how polar organisms respond to environmental change, and contributed to the education and career development of the next generation of American scientists. Last Modified: 12/12/2018 Submitted by: Gretchen E Hofmann