Mackenzie Moulton1, Lina Rasmusson1, Sam Dupont1
1Gothenburg University, Sweden
Maerl is a free-living calcareous algae found in coastal ecosystems. They form biogenic beds with complex structures in which other species can find refuge or on which other algae or structure-forming species can grow. They are also a part of extensive facilitation cascades, highlighting their importance as an ecosystem. While many species have been investigated in tropical, temperate and arctic regions worldwide, species from the Swedish West Coast are poorly studied. This project looked into both warming and acidification impacts on different physiological functions, including photosynthesis, respiration and calcification on maerl collected from the Swedish Kattegat. Respiration was measured through oxygen fluctuations, photosynthetic efficiency via pulse-amplitude modulated fluorometry, and calcification via alkalinity titrations. Maerl pieces were exposed to different temperatures and pCO2 to determine their physiological thresholds. The aims of this project are to both design methodology for taking measurements in a closed system as well as to gain a better understanding of their physiology and carbon budget under ocean warming and acidification. Ideally, this project will help determine both their main physiological thresholds with respect to temperature and pH, and their influence on marine carbon budgets. The insights from this project are important for a deeper understanding of these ecosystems in Swedish waters.
Biography
Mackenzie studied at James Cook University for her undergraduate degree where she majored in Marine Biology. This was where her interest in climate change, aquaculture and various coastal ecosystems was heightened. Once she moved to Sweden, she became part of the Masters Program focusing on sustainability of marine resources. Through this program she is now able to do her masters thesis on a type of algae of which she has had no prior background or knowledge.