Determining how biotic and abiotic variables affect the shell condition and parameters of <i>Heliconoides inflatus</i> pteropods from a sediment trap in the Cariaco Basin

Oakes, Rosie L.; Sessa, Jocelyn A.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1975-2020

Articles | Volume 17, issue 7

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1975-2020

© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1975-2020

© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 17, issue 7

Research article

|

14 Apr 2020

Research article |

| 14 Apr 2020

Determining how biotic and abiotic variables affect the shell condition and parameters of Heliconoides inflatus pteropods from a sediment trap in the Cariaco Basin

Rosie L. Oakes and Jocelyn A. Sessa

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1975-2020-supplement

Data sets

CT data, Cariaco variability - Oakes and Sessa - Biogeosciences R. Oakes and J. Sessa http://www.morphosource.org/Detail/ProjectDetail/Show/project_id/908

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Short summary

Pteropods are a group of tiny swimming snails whose fragile shells put them at risk from ocean acidification. We investigated the factors influencing the thickness of pteropods shells in the Cariaco Basin, off Venezuela, which is unaffected by ocean acidification. We found that pteropods formed thicker shells when nutrient concentrations, an indicator of food availability, were highest, indicating that food may be an important factor in mitigating the effects of ocean acidification on pteropods.