Acidification（酸化） of the oceans as a result of increasing levels of atmospheric¹ carbon dioxide could have significant effects on marine² ecosystems³（生态系统） , according to Michael Maguire presenting at the Society for General Microbiology's spring meeting in Edinburgh this week. Postgraduate⁴ researcher Mr Maguire, together with colleagues at Newcastle University, performed experiments in which they simulated ocean acidification as predicted by current trends of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions⁵. The group found that the decrease in ocean pH (increased acidity) resulted in a sharp decline of a biogeochemically important group of bacteria known as the Marine Roseobacter（菌属，玫瑰杆菌） clade（分化枝，进化枝） . "This is the first time that a highly important bacterial⁶ group has been observed to decline in significant numbers with only a modest（适度的，谦逊的） decrease in pH," said Mr Maguire.

The Marine Roseobacter clade is responsible for breaking down a sulphur（硫磺） compound called dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) that is produced by photosynthesising（光能合成） plankton⁷（浮游生物） . This end product is taken up and used by numerous bacteria as an important source of sulphur. A fraction of DMSP is turned into Dimethylsulfide (DMS) – a naturally occurring gas that influences the Earth's climate. DMS encourages the formation of clouds which reflect solar radiation back into space leading to a cooling of the earth's surface.

Mr Maguire's group hypothesizes（假设，假定） that the decline of the Marine Roseobacter clade through ocean acidification may alter the release of DMS into the atmosphere and affect the amount of available sulphur. He believes this will have a significant impact on the ocean's productivity and the overall global climate system. "Ocean acidification will not only have large scale consequences for marine ecosystems but also socio-economical consequences due to changes in fish stocks and erosion（侵蚀，腐蚀） of coral reefs," he explained.