Description: Microzooplankton (microZP, protists) and mesozooplankton (mesoZP, metazoans) abundances and biomass as well as presence of domoic acid (DA, phycotoxin) during the mesocosm experiment in the Canary Islands in autumn 2019. Depth-integrated (0-2.5m) water samples were taken over the course of 33 days, in 2-day intervals for microZP and mesoZP and 4-day intervals for DA. MicroZP was assessed by Utermöhl light microscopy and its biomass estimated using biovolume to carbon conversion factors from the literature. MesoZP samples were split into three size fractions (55-200, 200-500 and 〉500 µm), preserved with 70% ethanol and assessed under a stereo microscope. For biomass, mesoZP were measured in an element analyser. MesoZP data is provided for copepods only (dominant group) and all metazoan zooplankton combined (mainly copepods and appendicularians). For DA, particulate matter was filtered (〉0.7µm) and analysed via liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The upwelling treatment started on day 6. Methodological details in Goldenberg et al. (doi:10.3389/fmars.2022.1015188) and Goldenberg et al. (under review).

Description: Ocean acidification is caused by increasing amounts of carbon dioxide dissolving in the oceans leading to lower seawater pH. We studied the effects of lowered pH on the calanoid copepod Eurytemora affinis during a mesocosm experiment conducted in a coastal area of the Baltic Sea. We measured copepod reproductive success as a function of pH, chlorophyll a concentration, diatom and dinoflagellate biomass, carbon to nitrogen (C : N) ratio of suspended particulate organic matter, as well as copepod fatty acid composition. The laboratory-based experiment was repeated four times during 4 consecutive weeks, with water and copepods sampled from pelagic mesocosms enriched with different CO2 concentrations. In addition, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of animals from the mesocosms was measured weekly to test whether the copepod's defence against oxidative stress was affected by pH. We found no effect of pH on offspring production. Phytoplankton biomass, as indicated by chlorophyll a concentration and dinoflagellate biomass, had a positive effect. The concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the females was reflected in the eggs and had a positive effect on offspring production whereas monounsaturated fatty acids of the females were reflected in their eggs but had no significant effect. ORAC was not affected by pH. From these experiments we conclude that E. affinis seems robust against direct exposure to ocean acidification on a physiological level, for the variables covered in the study. E. affinis may not have faced acute pH stress in the treatments as the species naturally face large pH fluctuations.