EFFECT OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM OF SEA URCHIN lytechinus variegatus

摘要

The increase in atmospheric C02 concentration resulting from the anthropogenic activities is changing the chemistry of the oceans, resulting in decreased pH. Direct and indirect measurements confirm that the concentration of atmospheric C02 increasedaround 100 ppm in the last 250 years, and that the pH of ocean surface decreased by about 0.1 units and is expected to decrease 0.3 until 2100 and 0.7 until 2300 (TPCC 2007). Studies on ocean acidification has grown in recent years but most of the topicsreferred to how calcifying organisms react to changes and how these changes affect embryonic development and fertilization. Little attention has been given to other biological processes. Thus the objective of this study was to analyze the effects of ocean acidification on the immune system of sea urchins under two different pHs (7.6 e 7.3), and the control maintained at pH 8.0 in the acute period of 24 hours. The experimental pH values were chosen because they are predicted to average life expectancy for the years 2100 and 2300 respectively.