Breathing water is hard work as a given volume of water holds far less oxygen than the equivalent volume of air. This makes the physiological performance and behavioural repertoire of marine organisms heavily dependent on their ability and capacity to extract oxygen from the ambient sea water. Ocean deoxygenation generally affects marine organisms as soon as conditions depart from full aeration, with downstream consequences on their activities and capacity to face natural contingencies. The importance of maintaining adequate levels of oxygen in the ocean is perhaps best summarized by the motto of the American Lung Association: "if you can't breathe nothing else matters."
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