OCABEFOCean Acidification effects on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning relationships across gradients of habitat complexity [OCABEF]

Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR) – Missione 4 “Istruzione e Ricerca” – Componente 2 “Dalla Ricerca all’Impresa” Investimento 1.1 “Fondo per il Programma Nazionale di Ricerca e Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale (PRIN)”.

• Besides sea warming, ocean acidification (OA) represents the so-called 2nd CO2 problem: due to the increase in CO2 atmospheric concentrations and CO2 dissolution in seawater, ocean pH is progressively decreasing. A value of 7.7 (against 8.2 in the pre-industrial era) is foreseen by 2100 under the worst IPCC scenario. Many studies investigated short-to-medium term biological and ecological changes of the most OA-affected calcifying species.
• Studies investigating OA effects on biodiversity (B) and ecosystem functioning (EF) are relatively scanter and, to the best of our knowledge, OA effects on BEF relationships still need to be assessed. 
• With the aim of assessing vulnerability and adaptation mechanisms to OA of biodiversity and ecosystem functions and their relationships, the project “OCean Acidification effects on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning relationships across gradients of habitat complexity (OCABEF)” aims at investigating patterns of benthic biodiversity and ecosystem functions and their relationships along gradients of decreasing pH across a gradient of habitat complexity, including unvegetated sediments, macroalgal beds and seagrass meadows.