How does ocean acidification affect marine life?

Ocean acidification reduces the amount of carbon in the sea, which can lead to dire consequences for numerous marine species. It decreases the availability of carbonate ions, which are required by marine organisms to make skeletons, shells and other calcareous structures. Ocean acidification threatens the relationship between predator and prey species, and could cause marine food webs to collapse. It hinders the ability of larval fish to detect ecologically important cues and leads to a subsequent increase in mortality rate. It also hinders the ability of predators to detect chemical cues produced by prey.