Ocean Acidification Could Have Broad Effects On Marine Ecosystems

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217190334.htm

Concern about increasing ocean acidification has often focused on its potential effects on coral reefs, but broader disruptions of biological processes in the oceans may be more significant, according to Donald Potts, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an expert in coral reef ecology and marine biodiversity...

Diatoms, a type of phytoplankton. Many phytoplankton -- microscopic algae that form the base of the marine food web -- build calcium carbonate shells to protect themselves from microscopic predators called ciliate protozoa. A disruption of the ability of phytoplankton to build their shells could have ripple effects throughout the marine food web. (Credit: iStockphoto/Nancy Nehring)