Biological Models for the Study of Ocean Acidification: From Molecules to Ecosystems

The continuous increase in CO2 emissions in the atmosphere is considered one of the most important factors contributing to global climate change. This rising of atmospheric CO2 concentrations generates the ocean acidification phenomenon (OA), occurring at the global ocean scale. Studies performed under laboratory conditions, as well as in situ under naturally acidified conditions (e.g., hydrothermal vent’ systems), described detrimental effects due to OA across many taxa, highlighting strong species-specific sensitivity. Besides, recently emerged the ability of some organisms to survive and thrive under acidified conditions.
In this view, the current topics aim to collect papers that could help to identify model species for the study of OA at different hierarchical levels of the biological systems, using different approaches: from genetic and molecular, to eco-physiological and eco-toxicological, up to population and ecological levels.

The goal is to broaden the current understanding of the various organismal, cellular and molecular mechanisms that are established in response to stress due to OA, but also to predict how this phenomenon may influence population structure and species interactions shaping marine communities in the future ocean of the Anthropocene.