Ocean acidification is considered detrimental to marine calcifiers based on laboratory studies showing that increased seawater acidity weakens their ability to build calcareous shells needed for growth and protection. In the natural environment, however, the effects of ocean acidification are subject to ecological and evolutionary processes that may allow calcifiers to buffer or reverse these short‐term negative effects through adaptive mechanisms. Using marine snails inhabiting a naturally CO₂‐enriched environment over multiple generations, it is discovered herein that they build more durable shells (i.e., mechanically more resilient) by adjusting the building blocks of their shells (i.e., calcium carbonate crystals), such as atomic rearrangement to reduce nanotwin thickness and increased incorporation of organic matter. However, these adaptive adjustments to future levels of ocean acidification (year 2100) are eroded at extreme CO₂ concentrations, leading to construction of more fragile shells. The discovery of adaptive mechanisms of shell building at the nanoscale provides a new perspective on why some calcifiers may thrive and others collapse in acidifying oceans, and highlights the inherent adaptability that some species possess in adjusting to human‐caused environmental change.

中文翻译：

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钙化剂可以调节纳米级的壳结构以抵抗海洋酸化。

根据实验室研究表明，海洋酸化对海洋钙化剂是有害的，该研究表明增加的海水酸度会削弱其建造生长和保护所需的钙质壳的能力。但是，在自然环境中，海洋酸化的影响受到生态和进化过程的影响，这可能使钙化剂通过适应性机制来缓冲或逆转这些短期负面影响。使用居住在天然CO _2中的海洋蜗牛经过多代的丰富环境，我们发现它们通过调节外壳的结构单元（例如碳酸钙晶体）来构建更耐用的外壳（即机械上更具弹性），例如原子重排以减少纳米孪晶的厚度并增加有机物的结合。但是，这些对未来海洋酸化水平（2100年）的适应性调整在极高的CO ₂浓度下受到侵蚀，导致建造了更脆弱的贝壳。纳米级壳构建适应性机制的发现为为什么一些钙化石在酸性化的海洋中兴旺而另一些崩解提供了新的视角，并突出了某些物种在适应人为环境变化方面所固有的适应性。