Ocean acidification pushes Mediterranean marine calcifiers toward a tipping point
Abstract
The increasing emission of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) is altering seawater chemistry, lowering ocean pH and threatening marine biodiversity. Predicting how marine biota will be adversely affected by ocean acidification (OA) remains a key challenge. Here, we document that functional morphological traits offer a more robust metric of calcifier sensitivity to OA than taxonomic diversity alone. Using benthic foraminifera from a Mediterranean CO ₂ vent system, we identify an empirically derived pH threshold beyond which community structure and function shift markedly. Applying this threshold to end-of-century projections under Shared Socioeconomic Pathway SSP5-8.5 reveals that most western Mediterranean coastal zones will exceed critical acidification levels by 2090–2100. These results highlight the susceptibility of the Mediterranean coastal ecosystems to OA under high-emission scenarios, underscoring the risk of widespread biodiversity loss and impaired ecosystem functioning. Our approach provides a trait-based framework for forecasting ecosystem responses to OA and informing adaptation strategies in climate-sensitive marine regions.
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BibTeX
@article{frontalini2026ocean,
title = {{Ocean acidification pushes Mediterranean marine calcifiers toward a tipping point}},
author = {Fabrizio Frontalini and Mattia Greco and Nicola Casadei and Ines Barrenechea Angeles and Marina Montresor and Maria Virginia Alves Martins and Jan Pawlowski},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-70159-4},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-70159-4},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ocean acidification pushes Mediterranean marine calcifiers toward a tipping point
AU - Fabrizio Frontalini
AU - Mattia Greco
AU - Nicola Casadei
AU - Ines Barrenechea Angeles
AU - Marina Montresor
AU - Maria Virginia Alves Martins
AU - Jan Pawlowski
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-70159-4
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-70159-4
AB - The increasing emission of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) is altering seawater chemistry, lowering ocean pH and threatening marine biodiversity. Predicting how marine biota will be adversely affected by ocean acidification (OA) remains a key challenge. Here, we document that functional morphological traits offer a more robust metric of calcifier sensitivity to OA than taxonomic diversity alone. Using benthic foraminifera from a Mediterranean CO ₂ vent system, we identify an empirically derived pH threshold beyond which community structure and function shift markedly. Applying this threshold to end-of-century projections under Shared Socioeconomic Pathway SSP5-8.5 reveals that most western Mediterranean coastal zones will exceed critical acidification levels by 2090–2100. These results highlight the susceptibility of the Mediterranean coastal ecosystems to OA under high-emission scenarios, underscoring the risk of widespread biodiversity loss and impaired ecosystem functioning. Our approach provides a trait-based framework for forecasting ecosystem responses to OA and informing adaptation strategies in climate-sensitive marine regions.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -