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<P id=article-info><EM>Science</EM> 26 June 2009:<BR>Vol. 324. no. 5935, p. 1683<BR>DOI: 10.1126/science.1169806</DIV></H2>
<H2>Elevated CO<SUB>2</SUB> Enhances Otolith Growth in Young Fish</H2><STRONG></NOBR><NOBR>David M. Checkley, Jr.,<SUP>*</SUP></NOBR> <NOBR>Andrew G. Dickson,</NOBR> <NOBR>Motomitsu Takahashi,<A name=RAFN1></A><SUP><IMG border=0 alt={dagger} src="http://www.sciencemag.org/math/link//dagger.gif"></SUP></NOBR> <NOBR>J. Adam Radich,</NOBR> <NOBR>Nadine Eisenkolb,<A name=RAFN2></A><SUP><IMG border=0 alt={ddagger} src="http://www.sciencemag.org/math/link//Dagger.gif"></SUP></NOBR> <NOBR>Rebecca Asch</NOBR> </STRONG>
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<DIV class=Abstract>A large fraction of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere<SUP> </SUP>by human activity enters the sea, causing ocean acidification.<SUP> </SUP>We show that otoliths (aragonite ear bones) of young fish grown<SUP> </SUP>under high CO<SUB>2</SUB> (low pH) conditions are larger than normal, contrary<SUP> </SUP>to expectation. We hypothesize that CO<SUB>2</SUB> moves freely through<SUP> </SUP>the epithelium around the otoliths in young fish, accelerating<SUP> </SUP>otolith growth while the local pH is controlled. This is the<SUP> </SUP>converse of the effect commonly reported for structural biominerals.<SUP> </SUP>
<DIV></DIV></DIV><FONT size=-1>Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA. </FONT>
<DIV><A name=AFN1><!-- null --></A><SUP><IMG border=0 alt={dagger} src="http://www.sciencemag.org/math/dagger.gif"></SUP> Present address: Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute,<SUP> </SUP>Fisheries Research Agency, 1551-8, Taira-machi, Nagasaki-shi,<SUP> </SUP>Nagasaki 851-2213, Japan.<SUP> </SUP>
<DIV><A name=AFN2><!-- null --></A><SUP><IMG border=0 alt={ddagger} src="http://www.sciencemag.org/math/Dagger.gif"></SUP> Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, University<SUP> </SUP>of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.<SUP> </SUP>
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<DIV><SUP>*</SUP> To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: <SPAN id=em0><A href="mailto:dcheckley@ucsd.edu">dcheckley@ucsd.edu</A></SPAN>
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<DIV>Saludos,</DIV>
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<DIV>Raúl Sánchez Scaglioni</FONT></DIV></td></tr></table><br>