FY 2015 Changes in pteropod distributions and shell dissolution across a frontal system in the California Current System Bednaršek, N., and M.D. Ohman Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 523, 93–103, doi: 10.3354/meps11199 (2015) We tested the sensitivity of the vertical distributions and shell dissolution patterns of thecosome pteropods to spatial gradients associated with an eddy-associated front in the southern California Current System. The aragonite saturation horizon (Ωarag = 1.0) shoaled from > 200 m depth to < 75 m across the front. The vertical distribution of thecosome pteropods tracked these changes, with all five species showing reduced occurrence at depths below 100 m where waters were less saturated with respect to aragonite. Shell dissolution patterns of the numerically dominant thecosome Limacina helicina corresponded to the cross-frontal changes in Ωarag saturation state. Severe shell dissolution (categorized here as Type II and Type III) was low in near-surface waters where Ωarag > 1.4, while peak dissolution occurred in depths where Ωarag = 1.0–1.4. Vertical habitat compression and increased shell dissolution may be expected to accompany future shoaling of waters undersaturated with respect to aragonite. Feature Publications | Outstanding Scientific Publications Contact Sandra Bigley | Help
