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<DIV><A href="http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118545752/home"><FONT
color=#000000>Ecology Letters</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV class=volIss><A
href="http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123221847/issue"><FONT
color=#000000>Volume 13 Issue
1</FONT></A>, Pages 68 - 75</DIV>
<DIV class=pubOnline>Published Online: 16 Nov 2009</DIV>
<DIV class=title-document> </DIV>
<DIV class=title-document><FONT size=4>Ocean acidification disrupts the innate
ability of fish to detect predator olfactory cues</FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=author-info xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><SPAN
class=name><SPAN class=forenames>Danielle L.</SPAN> <SPAN
class=surname>Dixson</SPAN> <SUP><NOBR>1</NOBR></SUP>*</SPAN>, <SPAN
class=name><SPAN class=forenames>Philip L.</SPAN> <SPAN
class=surname>Munday</SPAN> <SUP><NOBR>1</NOBR></SUP> </SPAN>and <SPAN
class=name><SPAN class=forenames>Geoffrey P.</SPAN> <SPAN
class=surname>Jones</SPAN> <SUP><NOBR>1</NOBR></SUP> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=addresses xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><SPAN class=address><A
class=invisible-anchor name=a1> </A><SPAN id=a1> <SPAN
class=number><SUP><NOBR>1</NOBR></SUP> </SPAN>ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral
Reef Studies, and School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University,
Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia</SPAN> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=correspondence-address xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><SPAN
class=correspondence-label>Correspondence to </SPAN><A class=invisible-anchor
name=c1> </A><SPAN id=c1> <SPAN class=number>*</SPAN>E-mail: <A
class=externallink href="mailto:danielle.dixson@jcu.edu.au"><FONT
color=#000000>danielle.dixson@jcu.edu.au</FONT></A></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV class=bpg40copyright> </DIV>
<DIV class=abstract-title id=h1><STRONG>ABSTRACT</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV class=abstract-content xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"
xmlns:md="urn:mdransfi-functions"
xmlns:f="http://wiley.com/wispers/content/function"
xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<P class=para>While ocean acidification is predicted to threaten marine
biodiversity, the processes that directly impact species persistence are not
well understood. For marine species, early life history stages are inherently
vulnerable to predators and an innate ability to detect predators can be
critical for survival. However, whether or not acidification inhibits predator
detection is unknown. Here, we show that newly hatched larvae of the marine fish
<SPAN class=i><EM>Amphiprion percula</EM></SPAN> innately detect predators using
olfactory cues and this ability is retained through to settlement.
Aquarium-reared larvae, not previously exposed to predators, were able to
distinguish between the olfactory cues of predatory and non-predatory species.
However, when eggs and larvae were exposed to seawater simulating ocean
acidification (pH 7.8 and 1000 p.p.m. CO<SUB><NOBR>2</NOBR></SUB>)
settlement-stage larvae became strongly attracted to the smell of predators and
the ability to discriminate between predators and non-predators was lost. Newly
hatched larvae were unaffected by CO<SUB><NOBR>2</NOBR></SUB> exposure and were
still able to distinguish between predatory and non-predatory fish. If this
impairment of olfactory preferences in settlement-stage larvae translates to
higher mortality as a result of increased predation risk, there could be direct
consequences for the replenishment and the sustainability of marine
populations.</P></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>