Project description: Ocean CO2 levels increase in line with atmospheric CO2 and recent studies showed that fish reared in high-CO2 water (700 - 900 ppm which is predicted by IPPC for year 2050 and 2100) display drastic behavioural alterations. For instance, instead of the normal avoidance reaction, the smell of predatory fish attracted fish larvae raised in CO2-acidified water.

These behavioural effects of elevated pCO2 seem to be mediated by effects on the central nervous system of the fish. The fact that these effects are observed in several species indicates that the scope of this problem is truly global. The project, which is funded by the Swedish Research Council (VR), is focused on the neural mechanisms mediating behavioral effects of elevated pCO2.

The project is a collaboration between Prof. Svante Winberg, Prof. Bryndis Birnir, Dept. of Neuroscience, Uppsala Univ., Prof. Gran E. Nilsson, Dept. of Molecular Biosciences, Oslo Univ., and Dr. Fredrik Jutfelt, Dept. of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Gteborg Univ. Part of the experimental work will be performed at The Lovn Centre Kristineberg, Sweden.