ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.

Sec. Global Change and the Future Ocean

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1473333

Assessing Pteropod Shell Dissolution to Advance Ocean Monitoring Techniques: A Methods Comparison of SEM, CT, and Light Microscopy

Provisionally accepted
Bryce E. KoesterBryce E. Koester1,2John HandleyJohn Handley3,4Maven MercadoMaven Mercado1,2Owen A GoodchildOwen A Goodchild1,2Rosie OakesRosie Oakes1,2,5Jocelyn Anne SessaJocelyn Anne Sessa1,2*
  • 1Department of Biodiversity, Earth & Environmental Science, College of Arts and Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
  • 2Invertebrate Paleontology, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
  • 3Paleontological Research Institution (PRI), Ithaca, New York, United States
  • 4Simon Business School, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States
  • 5Met Office, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom

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As ocean acidification worsens due to anthropogenic climate change, finding ways to monitor these changes is increasingly vital to the creation of sustainable policy and ocean conservation. This manuscript compares the strengths and weaknesses of light microscopy to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro-computed tomography (CT) when used for assessing pteropod shell dissolution, a common bioindicator for ocean acidification. SEM is the most common and sensitive tool for measuring shell dissolution, but it requires more time and money compared to light microscopy. Pteropods are used as a bioindicator of ocean acidification due to their sensitive aragonitic shells, and their response to acidifying conditions will have repercussions for marine food webs and carbon cycling. We studied three pteropod species from various localities: Limacina retroversa, Limacina helicina pacifica, and Heliconoides inflatus, all of which are commonly used in acidification research. Our results show that the cheaper and faster light microscopy method is useful as a substitute for SEM methods. We also provide suggestions on what method to use depending on research goals. As ocean acidification increases, the light microscopy method is a promising way to monitor pteropods as the canary in the coal mine for ecosystem impacts.

Keywords: Pteropod, Limacina, ocean acidification, Shell dissolution, Climate Change, Scanning electron microscopy, light microscopy, Micro-computed tomography

Received: 30 Jul 2024; Accepted: 24 Apr 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Koester, Handley, Mercado, Goodchild, Oakes and Sessa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Jocelyn Anne Sessa, Department of Biodiversity, Earth & Environmental Science, College of Arts and Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, 19104, Pennsylvania, United States

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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