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Vuleta S, Nakagawa S, Ainsworth TD. The global significance of Scleractinian corals without photoendosymbiosis. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10161. [PMID: 38698199 PMCID: PMC11066124 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60794-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Globally tropical Scleractinian corals have been a focal point for discussions on the impact of a changing climate on marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Research into tropical Scleractinian corals, particularly the role and breakdown of photoendosymbiosis in response to warming, has been prolific in recent decades. However, research into their subtropical, temperate, cold- and deep-water counterparts, whose number is dominated by corals without photoendosymbiosis, has not been as prolific. Approximately 50% of Scleractinian corals (> 700 species) do not maintain photoendosymbiosis and as such, do not rely upon the products of photosynthesis for homeostasis. Some species also have variable partnerships with photendosymbionts depending on life history and ecological niche. Here we undertake a systematic map of literature on Scleractinian corals without, or with variable, photoendosymbiosis. In doing so we identify 482 publications spanning 5 decades. In mapping research effort, we find publications have been sporadic over time, predominately focusing on a limited number of species, with greater research effort directed towards deep-water species. We find only 141 species have been studied, with approximately 30% of the total identified research effort directed toward a single species, Desmophyllum pertusum, highlighting significant knowledge gaps into Scleractinian diversity. We find similar limitations to studied locations, with 78 identified from the global data, of which only few represent most research outputs. We also identified inconsistencies with terminology used to describe Scleractinia without photoendosymbiosis, likely contributing to difficulties in accounting for their role and contribution to marine ecosystems. We propose that the terminology requires re-evaluation to allow further systematic assessment of literature, and to ensure it's consistent with changes implemented for photoendosymbiotic corals. Finally, we find that knowledge gaps identified over 20 years ago are still present for most aphotoendosymbiotic Scleractinian species, and we show data deficiencies remain regarding their function, biodiversity and the impacts of anthropogenic stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Vuleta
- Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2033, Australia.
| | - S Nakagawa
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2033, Australia
| | - T D Ainsworth
- Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2033, Australia
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2
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Beck KK, Nierste J, Schmidt-Grieb GM, Lüdtke E, Naab C, Held C, Nehrke G, Steinhoefel G, Laudien J, Richter C, Wall M. Ontogenetic differences in the response of the cold-water coral Caryophyllia huinayensis to ocean acidification, warming and food availability. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 900:165565. [PMID: 37495133 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Cold-water corals (CWCs) are considered vulnerable to environmental changes. However, previous studies have focused on adult CWCs and mainly investigated the short-term effects of single stressors. So far, the effects of environmental changes on different CWC life stages are unknown, both for single and multiple stressors and over long time periods. Therefore, we conducted a six-month aquarium experiment with three life stages of Caryophyllia huinayensis to study their physiological response (survival, somatic growth, calcification and respiration) to the interactive effects of aragonite saturation (0.8 and 2.5), temperature (11 and 15 °C) and food availability (8 and 87 μg C L-1). The response clearly differed between life stages and measured traits. Elevated temperature and reduced feeding had the greatest effects, pushing the corals to their physiological limits. Highest mortality was observed in adult corals, while calcification rates decreased the most in juveniles. We observed a three-month delay in response, presumably because energy reserves declined, suggesting that short-term experiments overestimate coral resilience. Elevated summer temperatures and reduced food supply are likely to have the greatest impact on live CWCs in the future, leading to reduced coral growth and population shifts due to delayed juvenile maturation and high adult mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina K Beck
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany; University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
| | - Jan Nierste
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany; University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | | | - Esther Lüdtke
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Christoph Naab
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany; University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Held
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Gernot Nehrke
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Grit Steinhoefel
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Jürgen Laudien
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Claudio Richter
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany; University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Marlene Wall
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany; GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany
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3
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Tilstra A, Braxator L, Thobor B, Mezger SD, Hill CEL, El-Khaled YC, Caporale G, Kim S, Wild C. Short-term ocean acidification decreases pulsation and growth of the widespread soft coral Xenia umbellata. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0294470. [PMID: 37967066 PMCID: PMC10651030 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs may experience lower pH values as a result of ocean acidification (OA), which has negative consequences, particularly for calcifying organisms. Thus far, the effects of this global factor have been mainly investigated on hard corals, while the effects on soft corals remain relatively understudied. We therefore carried out a manipulative aquarium experiment for 21 days to study the response of the widespread pulsating soft coral Xenia umbellata to simulated OA conditions. We gradually decreased the pH from ambient (~8.3) to three consecutive 7-day long pH treatments of 8.0, 7.8, and 7.6, using a CO2 dosing system. Monitored response variables included pulsation rate, specific growth rate, visual coloration, survival, Symbiodiniaceae cell densities and chlorophyll a content, photosynthesis and respiration, and finally stable isotopes of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) as well as CN content. Pulsation decreased compared to controls with each consecutive lowering of the pH, i.e., 17% at pH 8.0, 26% at pH 7.8 and 32% at pH 7.6, accompanied by an initial decrease in growth rates of ~60% at pH 8.0, not decreasing further at lower pH. An 8.3 ‰ decrease of δ13C confirmed that OA exposed colonies had a higher uptake and availability of atmospheric CO2. Coral productivity, i.e., photosynthesis, was not affected by higher dissolved inorganic C availability and none of the remaining response variables showed any significant differences. Our findings suggest that pulsation is a phenotypically plastic mechanism for X. umbellata to adjust to different pH values, resulting in reduced growth rates only, while maintaining high productivity. Consequently, pulsation may allow X. umbellata to inhabit a broad pH range with minimal effects on its overall health. This resilience may contribute to the competitive advantage that soft corals, particularly X. umbellata, have over hard corals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arjen Tilstra
- Department of Marine Ecology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Lorena Braxator
- Department of Marine Ecology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Bianca Thobor
- Department of Marine Ecology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Selma D. Mezger
- Department of Marine Ecology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | | | | | - Giulia Caporale
- Department of Marine Ecology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Sohyoung Kim
- Department of Marine Ecology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Christian Wild
- Department of Marine Ecology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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4
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Gasbarro R, Sowers D, Margolin A, Cordes EE. Distribution and predicted climatic refugia for a reef-building cold-water coral on the southeast US margin. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:7108-7125. [PMID: 36054745 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is reorganizing the planet's biodiversity, necessitating proactive management of species and habitats based on spatiotemporal predictions of distributions across climate scenarios. In marine settings, climatic changes will predominantly manifest via warming, ocean acidification, deoxygenation, and changes in hydrodynamics. Lophelia pertusa, the main reef-forming coral present throughout the deep Atlantic Ocean (>200 m), is particularly sensitive to such stressors with stark reductions in suitable habitat predicted to accrue by 2100 in a business-as-usual scenario. However, with new occurrence data for this species along with higher-resolution bathymetry and climate data, it may be possible to locate further climatic refugia. Here, we synthesize new and published biogeographic, geomorphological, and climatic data to build ensemble, multi-scale habitat suitability models for L. pertusa on the continental margin of the southeast United States (SEUS). We then project these models in two timepoints (2050, 2100) and four climate change scenarios to characterize the occurrence probability of this critical cold-water coral (CWC) habitat now and in the future. Our models reveal the extent of reef habitat in the SEUS and corroborate it as the largest currently known essentially continuous CWC reef province on earth, and also predict abundance of L. pertusa to identify key areas, including those outside areas currently protected from bottom-contact fishing. Drastic reductions in L. pertusa climatic suitability index emerged primarily after 2050 and were concentrated at the shallower end (<~550 m) of the regional distribution under the Gulf Stream main axis. Our results thus suggest a depth-driven climate refuge effect where deeper, cooler reef sites experience lesser declines. The strength of this effect increases with climate scenario severity. Taken together, our study has implications for the regional and global management of this species, portending changes in the biodiversity reliant on CWC habitats and the critical ecosystem services they provide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Gasbarro
- Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Derek Sowers
- NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Durham, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Alex Margolin
- Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Erik E Cordes
- Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Adaptive Responses of the Sea Anemone Heteractis crispa to the Interaction of Acidification and Global Warming. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12172259. [PMID: 36077978 PMCID: PMC9454579 DOI: 10.3390/ani12172259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ocean acidification and warming are two of the most important threats to the existence of marine organisms and are predicted to co-occur in oceans. The present work evaluated the effects of acidification (AC: 24 ± 0.1 °C and 900 μatm CO2), warming (WC: 30 ± 0.1 °C and 450 μatm CO2), and their combination (CC: 30 ± 0.1 °C and 900 μatm CO2) on the sea anemone, Heteractis crispa, from the aspects of photosynthetic apparatus (maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (PS II), chlorophyll level, and Symbiodiniaceae density) and sterol metabolism (cholesterol content and total sterol content). In a 15-day experiment, acidification alone had no apparent effect on the photosynthetic apparatus, but did affect sterol levels. Upregulation of their chlorophyll level is an important strategy for symbionts to adapt to high partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2). However, after warming stress, the benefits of high pCO2 had little effect on stress tolerance in H. crispa. Indeed, thermal stress was the dominant driver of the deteriorating health of H. crispa. Cholesterol and total sterol contents were significantly affected by all three stress conditions, although there was no significant change in the AC group on day 3. Thus, cholesterol or sterol levels could be used as important indicators to evaluate the impact of climate change on cnidarians. Our findings suggest that H. crispa might be relatively insensitive to the impact of ocean acidification, whereas increased temperature in the future ocean might impair viability of H. crispa.
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Moynihan MA, Amini S, Oalmann J, Chua JQI, Tanzil JTI, Fan TY, Miserez A, Goodkin NF. Crystal orientation mapping and microindentation reveal anisotropy in Porites skeletons. Acta Biomater 2022; 151:446-456. [PMID: 35963519 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Structures made by scleractinian corals support diverse ocean ecosystems. Despite the importance of coral skeletons and their predicted vulnerability to climate change, few studies have examined the mechanical and crystallographic properties of coral skeletons at the micro- and nano-scales. Here, we investigated the interplay of crystallographic and microarchitectural organization with mechanical anisotropy within Porites skeletons by measuring Young's modulus and hardness along surfaces transverse and longitudinal to the primary coral growth direction. We observed micro-scale anisotropy, where the transverse surface had greater Young's modulus and hardness by ∼ 6 GPa and 0.2 GPa, respectively. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) revealed that this surface also had a higher percentage of crystals oriented with the a-axis between ± 30-60∘, relative to the longitudinal surface, and a broader grain size distribution. Within a region containing a sharp microscale gradient in Young's modulus, nanoscale indentation mapping, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), EBSD, and Raman crystallography were performed. A correlative trend showed higher Young's modulus and hardness in regions with individual crystal bases (c-axis) facing upward, and in crystal fibers relative to centers of calcification. These relationships highlight the difference in mechanical properties between scales (i.e. crystals, crystal bundles, grains). Observations of crystal orientation and mechanical properties suggest that anisotropy is driven by microscale organization and crystal packing, rather than intrinsic crystal anisotropy. In comparison with previous observations of nanoscale isotropy in corals, our results illustrate the role of hierarchical architecture in coral skeletons and the influence of biotic and abiotic factors on mechanical properties at different scales. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Coral biomineralization and the ability of corals' skeletal structure to withstand biotic and abiotic forces underpins the success of reef ecosystems. At the microscale, we show increased skeletal stiffness and hardness perpendicular to the coral growth direction. By comparing nano- and micro-scale indentation results, we also reveal an effect of hierarchical architecture on the mechanical properties of coral skeletons and hypothesize that crystal packing and orientation result in microscale anisotropy. In contrast to previous findings, we demonstrate that mechanical and crystallographic properties of coral skeletons can vary between surface planes, within surface planes, and at different analytical scales. These results improve our understanding of biomineralization and the effects of scale and direction on how biomineral structures respond to environmental stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly A Moynihan
- Earth Observatory of Singapore, Interdisciplinary Graduate School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore; Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore; Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA.
| | - Shahrouz Amini
- Center for Biomimetic Sensor Science, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore; Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Department of Biomaterials, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jeffrey Oalmann
- Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - J Q Isaiah Chua
- Center for Biomimetic Sensor Science, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jani T I Tanzil
- Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore; St. John's Island National Marine Laboratory, Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore, 18 Kent Ridge Road, 119227, Singapore
| | - T Y Fan
- National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Pingtung, Taiwan
| | - Ali Miserez
- Center for Biomimetic Sensor Science, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore; School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nathalie F Goodkin
- Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore; American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
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Environmental stability and phenotypic plasticity benefit the cold-water coral Desmophyllum dianthus in an acidified fjord. Commun Biol 2022; 5:683. [PMID: 35810196 PMCID: PMC9271058 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03622-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The stratified Chilean Comau Fjord sustains a dense population of the cold-water coral (CWC) Desmophyllum dianthus in aragonite supersaturated shallow and aragonite undersaturated deep water. This provides a rare opportunity to evaluate CWC fitness trade-offs in response to physico-chemical drivers and their variability. Here, we combined year-long reciprocal transplantation experiments along natural oceanographic gradients with an in situ assessment of CWC fitness. Following transplantation, corals acclimated fast to the novel environment with no discernible difference between native and novel (i.e. cross-transplanted) corals, demonstrating high phenotypic plasticity. Surprisingly, corals exposed to lowest aragonite saturation (Ωarag < 1) and temperature (T < 12.0 °C), but stable environmental conditions, at the deep station grew fastest and expressed the fittest phenotype. We found an inverse relationship between CWC fitness and environmental variability and propose to consider the high frequency fluctuations of abiotic and biotic factors to better predict the future of CWCs in a changing ocean. The cold-water coral Desmophyllum dianthus benefits from stable environmental conditions in deep waters of Comau Fjord (Chile) and is able to acclimatise quickly to new environmental conditions after transplantation.
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Portilho-Ramos RDC, Titschack J, Wienberg C, Siccha Rojas MG, Yokoyama Y, Hebbeln D. Major environmental drivers determining life and death of cold-water corals through time. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001628. [PMID: 35587463 PMCID: PMC9119455 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cold-water corals (CWCs) are the engineers of complex ecosystems forming unique biodiversity hotspots in the deep sea. They are expected to suffer dramatically from future environmental changes in the oceans such as ocean warming, food depletion, deoxygenation, and acidification. However, over the last decades of intense deep-sea research, no extinction event of a CWC ecosystem is documented, leaving quite some uncertainty on their sensitivity to these environmental parameters. Paleoceanographic reconstructions offer the opportunity to align the on- and offsets of CWC proliferation to environmental parameters. Here, we present the synthesis of 6 case studies from the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, revealing that food supply controlled by export production and turbulent hydrodynamics at the seabed exerted the strongest impact on coral vitality during the past 20,000 years, whereas locally low oxygen concentrations in the bottom water can act as an additional relevant stressor. The fate of CWCs in a changing ocean will largely depend on how these oceanographic processes will be modulated. Future ocean deoxygenation may be compensated regionally where the food delivery and food quality are optimal.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jürgen Titschack
- MARUM–Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- Senckenberg am Meer, Marine Research Department, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Claudia Wienberg
- MARUM–Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | | | - Yusuke Yokoyama
- Analytical Center for Environmental Science–Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Dierk Hebbeln
- MARUM–Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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9
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Maier SR, Jantzen C, Laudien J, Häussermann V, Försterra G, Cornils A, Niggemann J, Dittmar T, Richter C. The carbon and nitrogen budget of Desmophyllum dianthus-a voracious cold-water coral thriving in an acidified Patagonian fjord. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12609. [PMID: 34966598 PMCID: PMC8667745 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In the North Patagonian fjord region, the cold-water coral (CWC) Desmophyllum dianthus occurs in high densities, in spite of low pH and aragonite saturation. If and how these conditions affect the energy demand of the corals is so far unknown. In a laboratory experiment, we investigated the carbon and nitrogen (C, N) budget of D. dianthus from Comau Fjord under three feeding scenarios: (1) live fjord zooplankton (100–2,300 µm), (2) live fjord zooplankton plus krill (>7 mm), and (3) four-day food deprivation. In closed incubations, C and N budgets were derived from the difference between C and N uptake during feeding and subsequent C and N loss through respiration, ammonium excretion, release of particulate organic carbon and nitrogen (POC, PON). Additional feeding with krill significantly increased coral respiration (35%), excretion (131%), and POC release (67%) compared to feeding on zooplankton only. Nevertheless, the higher C and N losses were overcompensated by the threefold higher C and N uptake, indicating a high assimilation and growth efficiency for the krill plus zooplankton diet. In contrast, short food deprivation caused a substantial reduction in respiration (59%), excretion (54%), release of POC (73%) and PON (87%) compared to feeding on zooplankton, suggesting a high potential to acclimatize to food scarcity (e.g., in winter). Notwithstanding, unfed corals ‘lost’ 2% of their tissue-C and 1.2% of their tissue-N per day in terms of metabolism and released particulate organic matter (likely mucus). To balance the C (N) losses, each D. dianthus polyp has to consume around 700 (400) zooplankters per day. The capture of a single, large krill individual, however, provides enough C and N to compensate daily C and N losses and grow tissue reserves, suggesting that krill plays an important nutritional role for the fjord corals. Efficient krill and zooplankton capture, as well as dietary and metabolic flexibility, may enable D. dianthus to thrive under adverse environmental conditions in its fjord habitat; however, it is not known how combined anthropogenic warming, acidification and eutrophication jeopardize the energy balance of this important habitat-building species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra R Maier
- Department of Biosciences, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany.,Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ-Yerseke), Yerseke, Netherlands
| | - Carin Jantzen
- Department of Biosciences, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Jürgen Laudien
- Department of Biosciences, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Verena Häussermann
- Facultad de Economía y Negocios, Universidad San Sebastián, Puerto Montt, Chile.,Huinay Foundation, Puerto Montt, Chile
| | - Günter Försterra
- Escuela de Ciencias del Mar, Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Astrid Cornils
- Department of Biosciences, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Jutta Niggemann
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Thorsten Dittmar
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.,Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB), University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Claudio Richter
- Department of Biosciences, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany.,Department of Biology/Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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10
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Hennige SJ, Larsson AI, Orejas C, Gori A, De Clippele LH, Lee YC, Jimeno G, Georgoulas K, Kamenos NA, Roberts JM. Using the Goldilocks Principle to model coral ecosystem engineering. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211260. [PMID: 34375552 PMCID: PMC8354746 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The occurrence and proliferation of reef-forming corals is of vast importance in terms of the biodiversity they support and the ecosystem services they provide. The complex three-dimensional structures engineered by corals are comprised of both live and dead coral, and the function, growth and stability of these systems will depend on the ratio of both. To model how the ratio of live : dead coral may change, the ‘Goldilocks Principle’ can be used, where organisms will only flourish if conditions are ‘just right’. With data from particle imaging velocimetry and numerical smooth particle hydrodynamic modelling with two simple rules, we demonstrate how this principle can be applied to a model reef system, and how corals are effectively optimizing their own local flow requirements through habitat engineering. Building on advances here, these approaches can be used in conjunction with numerical modelling to investigate the growth and mortality of biodiversity supporting framework in present-day and future coral reef structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J Hennige
- Changing Oceans Group, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - A I Larsson
- Department of Marine Sciences, Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - C Orejas
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Gijón, IEO, CSIC, Gijón, Spain
| | - A Gori
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - L H De Clippele
- Changing Oceans Group, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Y C Lee
- School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, University of Plymouth, Devon, UK
| | - G Jimeno
- School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
| | - K Georgoulas
- Changing Oceans Group, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - N A Kamenos
- School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - J M Roberts
- Changing Oceans Group, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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11
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Ortiz JC, Pears RJ, Beeden R, Dryden J, Wolff NH, Gomez Cabrera MDC, Mumby PJ. Important ecosystem function, low redundancy and high vulnerability: The trifecta argument for protecting the Great Barrier Reef's tabular
Acropora. Conserv Lett 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Juan C. Ortiz
- Australian Institute of Marine Science Townsville Queensland Australia
| | - Rachel J. Pears
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Townsville Queensland Australia
| | - Roger Beeden
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Townsville Queensland Australia
| | - Jen Dryden
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Townsville Queensland Australia
| | | | | | - Peter J Mumby
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St Lucia Queensland Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies Douglas Queensland Australia
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12
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Teixidó N, Caroselli E, Alliouane S, Ceccarelli C, Comeau S, Gattuso JP, Fici P, Micheli F, Mirasole A, Monismith SG, Munari M, Palumbi SR, Sheets E, Urbini L, De Vittor C, Goffredo S, Gambi MC. Ocean acidification causes variable trait-shifts in a coral species. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:6813-6830. [PMID: 33002274 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
High pCO2 habitats and their populations provide an unparalleled opportunity to assess how species may survive under future ocean acidification conditions, and help to reveal the traits that confer tolerance. Here we utilize a unique CO2 vent system to study the effects of exposure to elevated pCO2 on trait-shifts observed throughout natural populations of Astroides calycularis, an azooxanthellate scleractinian coral endemic to the Mediterranean. Unexpected shifts in skeletal and growth patterns were found. Colonies shifted to a skeletal phenotype characterized by encrusting morphology, smaller size, reduced coenosarc tissue, fewer polyps, and less porous and denser skeletons at low pH. Interestingly, while individual polyps calcified more and extended faster at low pH, whole colonies found at low pH site calcified and extended their skeleton at the same rate as did those at ambient pH sites. Transcriptomic data revealed strong genetic differentiation among local populations of this warm water species whose distribution range is currently expanding northward. We found excess differentiation in the CO2 vent population for genes central to calcification, including genes for calcium management (calmodulin, calcium-binding proteins), pH regulation (V-type proton ATPase), and inorganic carbon regulation (carbonic anhydrase). Combined, our results demonstrate how coral populations can persist in high pCO2 environments, making this system a powerful candidate for investigating acclimatization and local adaptation of organisms to global environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Núria Teixidó
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Deptartment of Integrative Marine Ecology, Ischia Marine Centre, Naples, Italy
- Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - Erik Caroselli
- Marine Science Group, Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Samir Alliouane
- Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - Chiara Ceccarelli
- Marine Science Group, Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Steeve Comeau
- Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - Jean-Pierre Gattuso
- Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Villefranche-sur-mer, France
- Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations, Paris, France
| | - Pietro Fici
- Marine Science Group, Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Fiorenza Micheli
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Alice Mirasole
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Deptartment of Integrative Marine Ecology, Ischia Marine Centre, Naples, Italy
| | - Stephen G Monismith
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Marco Munari
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Deptartment of Integrative Marine Ecology, Ischia Marine Centre, Naples, Italy
| | - Stephen R Palumbi
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Sheets
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Lidia Urbini
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS, Trieste, Italy
| | - Cinzia De Vittor
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS, Trieste, Italy
| | - Stefano Goffredo
- Marine Science Group, Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Fano Marine Center, The Inter-Institute Center for Research on Marine Biodiversity, Resources and Biotechnologies, Fano, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Gambi
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Deptartment of Integrative Marine Ecology, Ischia Marine Centre, Naples, Italy
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13
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Fontela M, Pérez FF, Carracedo LI, Padín XA, Velo A, García-Ibañez MI, Lherminier P. The Northeast Atlantic is running out of excess carbonate in the horizon of cold-water corals communities. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14714. [PMID: 32895439 PMCID: PMC7477189 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71793-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The oceanic uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by human activities alters the seawater carbonate system. Here, the chemical status of the Northeast Atlantic is examined by means of a high-quality database of carbon variables based on the GO-SHIP A25 section (1997–2018). The increase of atmospheric CO2 leads to an increase in ocean anthropogenic carbon (Cant) and a decrease in carbonate that is unequivocal in the upper and mid-layers (0–2,500 m depth). In the mid-layer, the carbonate content in the Northeast Atlantic is maintained by the interplay between the northward spreading of recently conveyed Mediterranean Water with excess of carbonate and the arrival of subpolar-origin waters close to carbonate undersaturation. In this study we show a progression to undersaturation with respect to aragonite that could compromise the conservation of the habitats and ecosystem services developed by benthic marine calcifiers inhabiting that depth-range, such as the cold-water corals (CWC) communities. For each additional ppm in atmospheric pCO2 the waters surrounding CWC communities lose carbonate at a rate of − 0.17 ± 0.02 μmol kg−1 ppm−1. The accomplishment of global climate policies to limit global warming below 1.5–2 ℃ will avoid the exhaustion of excess carbonate in the Northeast Atlantic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Fontela
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas, IIM-CSIC, 36208, Vigo, Spain. .,Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of Algarve, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal.
| | - Fiz F Pérez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas, IIM-CSIC, 36208, Vigo, Spain
| | - Lidia I Carracedo
- Ifremer, Univ. Brest, CNRS, IRD, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), IUEM, 29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Xosé A Padín
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas, IIM-CSIC, 36208, Vigo, Spain
| | - Antón Velo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas, IIM-CSIC, 36208, Vigo, Spain
| | - Maribel I García-Ibañez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas, IIM-CSIC, 36208, Vigo, Spain.,Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Pascale Lherminier
- Ifremer, Univ. Brest, CNRS, IRD, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), IUEM, 29280, Plouzané, France
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14
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Levin LA, Wei C, Dunn DC, Amon DJ, Ashford OS, Cheung WWL, Colaço A, Dominguez‐Carrió C, Escobar EG, Harden‐Davies HR, Drazen JC, Ismail K, Jones DOB, Johnson DE, Le JT, Lejzerowicz F, Mitarai S, Morato T, Mulsow S, Snelgrove PVR, Sweetman AK, Yasuhara M. Climate change considerations are fundamental to management of deep-sea resource extraction. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:4664-4678. [PMID: 32531093 PMCID: PMC7496832 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Climate change manifestation in the ocean, through warming, oxygen loss, increasing acidification, and changing particulate organic carbon flux (one metric of altered food supply), is projected to affect most deep-ocean ecosystems concomitantly with increasing direct human disturbance. Climate drivers will alter deep-sea biodiversity and associated ecosystem services, and may interact with disturbance from resource extraction activities or even climate geoengineering. We suggest that to ensure the effective management of increasing use of the deep ocean (e.g., for bottom fishing, oil and gas extraction, and deep-seabed mining), environmental management and developing regulations must consider climate change. Strategic planning, impact assessment and monitoring, spatial management, application of the precautionary approach, and full-cost accounting of extraction activities should embrace climate consciousness. Coupled climate and biological modeling approaches applied in the water and on the seafloor can help accomplish this goal. For example, Earth-System Model projections of climate-change parameters at the seafloor reveal heterogeneity in projected climate hazard and time of emergence (beyond natural variability) in regions targeted for deep-seabed mining. Models that combine climate-induced changes in ocean circulation with particle tracking predict altered transport of early life stages (larvae) under climate change. Habitat suitability models can help assess the consequences of altered larval dispersal, predict climate refugia, and identify vulnerable regions for multiple species under climate change. Engaging the deep observing community can support the necessary data provisioning to mainstream climate into the development of environmental management plans. To illustrate this approach, we focus on deep-seabed mining and the International Seabed Authority, whose mandates include regulation of all mineral-related activities in international waters and protecting the marine environment from the harmful effects of mining. However, achieving deep-ocean sustainability under the UN Sustainable Development Goals will require integration of climate consideration across all policy sectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa A. Levin
- Integrative Oceanography Division and Center for Marine Biodiversity and ConservationScripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
| | - Chih‐Lin Wei
- Institute of OceanographyNational Taiwan UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Daniel C. Dunn
- School of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of QueenslandSt LuciaQldAustralia
| | - Diva J. Amon
- Life Sciences DepartmentNatural History MuseumLondonUK
| | - Oliver S. Ashford
- Integrative Oceanography Division and Center for Marine Biodiversity and ConservationScripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
| | - William W. L. Cheung
- Institute for the Oceans and FisheriesThe University of British ColumbiaVancouverBCCanada
| | - Ana Colaço
- IMARInstituto do Mar, and Instituto de Investigação em Ciências do Mar – Okeanos da Universidade dos AçoresHortaPortugal
| | - Carlos Dominguez‐Carrió
- IMARInstituto do Mar, and Instituto de Investigação em Ciências do Mar – Okeanos da Universidade dos AçoresHortaPortugal
| | - Elva G. Escobar
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y LimnologíaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoMexico CityMexico
| | - Harriet R. Harden‐Davies
- Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and SecurityUniversity of WollongongWollongongNSWAustralia
| | - Jeffrey C. Drazen
- Department of OceanographyUniversity of Hawaii at ManoaHonoluluHIUSA
| | - Khaira Ismail
- Faculty of Science and Marine EnvironmentUniversiti Malaysia TerengganuKuala TerengganuMalaysia
| | - Daniel O. B. Jones
- Ocean Biogeochemistry and Ecosystems GroupNational Oceanography CentreSouthamptonUK
| | - David E. Johnson
- Global Ocean Biodiversity InitiativeSeascape Consultants Ltd.RomseyUK
| | - Jennifer T. Le
- Integrative Oceanography Division and Center for Marine Biodiversity and ConservationScripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
| | - Franck Lejzerowicz
- Jacobs School of EngineeringUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
| | - Satoshi Mitarai
- Marine Biophysics UnitOkinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate UniversityOkinawaJapan
| | - Telmo Morato
- IMARInstituto do Mar, and Instituto de Investigação em Ciências do Mar – Okeanos da Universidade dos AçoresHortaPortugal
| | - Sandor Mulsow
- Instituto Ciencias Marinas y LimnológicasUniversidad Austral de ChileValdiviaChile
| | - Paul V. R. Snelgrove
- Department of Ocean Sciences and Biology DepartmentMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John'sNLCanada
| | - Andrew K. Sweetman
- The Lyell Centre for Earth and Marine Science and TechnologyHeriot Watt UniversityEdinburghUK
| | - Moriaki Yasuhara
- School of Biological Sciences and Swire Institute of Marine ScienceThe University of Hong KongHong Kong SARChina
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15
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Hall ER, Wickes L, Burnett LE, Scott GI, Hernandez D, Yates KK, Barbero L, Reimer JJ, Baalousha M, Mintz J, Cai WJ, Craig JK, DeVoe MR, Fisher WS, Hathaway TK, Jewett EB, Johnson Z, Keener P, Mordecai RS, Noakes S, Phillips C, Sandifer PA, Schnetzer A, Styron J. Acidification in the U.S. Southeast: Causes, Potential Consequences and the Role of the Southeast Ocean and Coastal Acidification Network. FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE 2020; 7:1-548. [PMID: 32802822 PMCID: PMC7424514 DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Coastal acidification in southeastern U.S. estuaries and coastal waters is influenced by biological activity, run-off from the land, and increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Acidification can negatively impact coastal resources such as shellfish, finfish, and coral reefs, and the communities that rely on them. Organismal responses for species located in the U.S. Southeast document large negative impacts of acidification, especially in larval stages. For example, the toxicity of pesticides increases under acidified conditions and the combination of acidification and low oxygen has profoundly negative influences on genes regulating oxygen consumption. In corals, the rate of calcification decreases with acidification and processes such as wound recovery, reproduction, and recruitment are negatively impacted. Minimizing the changes in global ocean chemistry will ultimately depend on the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, but adaptation to these changes and mitigation of the local stressors that exacerbate global acidification can be addressed locally. The evolution of our knowledge of acidification, from basic understanding of the problem to the emergence of applied research and monitoring, has been facilitated by the development of regional Coastal Acidification Networks (CANs) across the United States. This synthesis is a product of the Southeast Coastal and Ocean Acidification Network (SOCAN). SOCAN was established to better understand acidification in the coastal waters of the U.S. Southeast and to foster communication among scientists, resource managers, businesses, and governments in the region. Here we review acidification issues in the U.S. Southeast, including the regional mechanisms of acidification and their potential impacts on biological resources and coastal communities. We recommend research and monitoring priorities and discuss the role SOCAN has in advancing acidification research and mitigation of and adaptation to these changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R. Hall
- Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL, United States
- Correspondence: Emily R. Hall
| | - Leslie Wickes
- Thrive Blue Consulting, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Louis E. Burnett
- Grice Marine Laboratory, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Geoffrey I. Scott
- Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Debra Hernandez
- Southeastern Coastal Ocean Observing and Research Regional Association, Charleston, SC, United States
| | | | - Leticia Barbero
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Janet J. Reimer
- College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - Mohammed Baalousha
- Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Jennifer Mintz
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ocean Acidification Program, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Wei-Jun Cai
- College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - J. Kevin Craig
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Beaufort, NC, United States
| | - M. Richard DeVoe
- South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - William S. Fisher
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf Ecology Laboratory, Gulf Breeze, FL, United States
| | | | - Elizabeth B. Jewett
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ocean Acidification Program, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Zackary Johnson
- Nicholas School of the Environment and Biology Department, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, United States
| | - Paula Keener
- Global Ocean Visions, LLC, Charleston, SC, United States
| | | | - Scott Noakes
- Center for Applied Isotope Studies, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Charlie Phillips
- Phillips Seafood, Sapelo Sea Farms, South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council, Townsend, GA, United States
| | - Paul A. Sandifer
- Hollings Marine Laboratory, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Astrid Schnetzer
- Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Jay Styron
- Carolina Mariculture Company, Cedar Island, NC, United States
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16
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Glazier A, Herrera S, Weinnig A, Kurman M, Gómez CE, Cordes E. Regulation of ion transport and energy metabolism enables certain coral genotypes to maintain calcification under experimental ocean acidification. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:1657-1673. [PMID: 32286706 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Cold-water corals (CWCs) are important foundation species in the world's largest ecosystem, the deep sea. They support a rich faunal diversity but are threatened by climate change and increased ocean acidification. As part of this study, fragments from three genetically distinct Lophelia pertusa colonies were subjected to ambient pH (pH = 7.9) and low pH (pH = 7.6) for six months. RNA was sampled at two, 4.5, and 8.5 weeks and sequenced. The colony from which the fragments were sampled explained most of the variance in expression patterns, but a general pattern emerged where upregulation of ion transport, required to maintain normal function and calcification, was coincident with lowered expression of genes involved in metabolic processes; RNA regulation and processing in particular. Furthermore, there was no differential expression of carbonic anhydrase detected in any analyses, which agrees with a previously described lack of response in enzyme activity in the same corals. However, one colony was able to maintain calcification longer than the other colonies when exposed to low pH and showed increased expression of ion transport genes including proton transport and expression of genes associated with formation of microtubules and the organic matrix, suggesting that certain genotypes may be better equipped to cope with ocean acidification in the future. While these genotypes exist in the contemporary gene pool, further stresses would reduce the genetic variability of the species, which would have repercussions for the maintenance of existing populations and the ecosystem as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Glazier
- Biology Department, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Santiago Herrera
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
| | - Alexis Weinnig
- Biology Department, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Melissa Kurman
- Biology Department, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,First Hand, University City Science Center Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Carlos E Gómez
- Biology Department, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Erik Cordes
- Biology Department, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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17
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Morato T, González-Irusta JM, Dominguez-Carrió C, Wei CL, Davies A, Sweetman AK, Taranto GH, Beazley L, García-Alegre A, Grehan A, Laffargue P, Murillo FJ, Sacau M, Vaz S, Kenchington E, Arnaud-Haond S, Callery O, Chimienti G, Cordes E, Egilsdottir H, Freiwald A, Gasbarro R, Gutiérrez-Zárate C, Gianni M, Gilkinson K, Wareham Hayes VE, Hebbeln D, Hedges K, Henry LA, Johnson D, Koen-Alonso M, Lirette C, Mastrototaro F, Menot L, Molodtsova T, Durán Muñoz P, Orejas C, Pennino MG, Puerta P, Ragnarsson SÁ, Ramiro-Sánchez B, Rice J, Rivera J, Roberts JM, Ross SW, Rueda JL, Sampaio Í, Snelgrove P, Stirling D, Treble MA, Urra J, Vad J, van Oevelen D, Watling L, Walkusz W, Wienberg C, Woillez M, Levin LA, Carreiro-Silva M. Climate-induced changes in the suitable habitat of cold-water corals and commercially important deep-sea fishes in the North Atlantic. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:2181-2202. [PMID: 32077217 PMCID: PMC7154791 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
The deep sea plays a critical role in global climate regulation through uptake and storage of heat and carbon dioxide. However, this regulating service causes warming, acidification and deoxygenation of deep waters, leading to decreased food availability at the seafloor. These changes and their projections are likely to affect productivity, biodiversity and distributions of deep-sea fauna, thereby compromising key ecosystem services. Understanding how climate change can lead to shifts in deep-sea species distributions is critically important in developing management measures. We used environmental niche modelling along with the best available species occurrence data and environmental parameters to model habitat suitability for key cold-water coral and commercially important deep-sea fish species under present-day (1951-2000) environmental conditions and to project changes under severe, high emissions future (2081-2100) climate projections (RCP8.5 scenario) for the North Atlantic Ocean. Our models projected a decrease of 28%-100% in suitable habitat for cold-water corals and a shift in suitable habitat for deep-sea fishes of 2.0°-9.9° towards higher latitudes. The largest reductions in suitable habitat were projected for the scleractinian coral Lophelia pertusa and the octocoral Paragorgia arborea, with declines of at least 79% and 99% respectively. We projected the expansion of suitable habitat by 2100 only for the fishes Helicolenus dactylopterus and Sebastes mentella (20%-30%), mostly through northern latitudinal range expansion. Our results projected limited climate refugia locations in the North Atlantic by 2100 for scleractinian corals (30%-42% of present-day suitable habitat), even smaller refugia locations for the octocorals Acanella arbuscula and Acanthogorgia armata (6%-14%), and almost no refugia for P. arborea. Our results emphasize the need to understand how anticipated climate change will affect the distribution of deep-sea species including commercially important fishes and foundation species, and highlight the importance of identifying and preserving climate refugia for a range of area-based planning and management tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Telmo Morato
- Okeanos Research Centre, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pesca, Universidade dos Açores, Horta, Portugal
- IMAR Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pesca, Universidade dos Açores, Horta, Portugal
| | - José-Manuel González-Irusta
- Okeanos Research Centre, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pesca, Universidade dos Açores, Horta, Portugal
- IMAR Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pesca, Universidade dos Açores, Horta, Portugal
| | - Carlos Dominguez-Carrió
- Okeanos Research Centre, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pesca, Universidade dos Açores, Horta, Portugal
- IMAR Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pesca, Universidade dos Açores, Horta, Portugal
| | - Chih-Lin Wei
- Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Andrew Davies
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - Andrew K Sweetman
- Marine Benthic Ecology, Biogeochemistry and In situ Technology Research Group, The Lyell Centre for Earth and Marine Science and Technology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Gerald H Taranto
- Okeanos Research Centre, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pesca, Universidade dos Açores, Horta, Portugal
- IMAR Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pesca, Universidade dos Açores, Horta, Portugal
| | - Lindsay Beazley
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada
| | - Ana García-Alegre
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo, Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Mar Sacau
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo, Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain
| | - Sandrine Vaz
- MARBEC, University of Montpellier, IFREMER, CNRS, IRD, Sète, France
| | - Ellen Kenchington
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada
| | | | - Oisín Callery
- Earth and Ocean Sciences, NUI Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Giovanni Chimienti
- Department of Biology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
- CoNISMa, Rome, Italy
| | - Erik Cordes
- Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - André Freiwald
- Marine Research Department, Senckenberg am Meer, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Ryan Gasbarro
- Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Cristina Gutiérrez-Zárate
- Okeanos Research Centre, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pesca, Universidade dos Açores, Horta, Portugal
- IMAR Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pesca, Universidade dos Açores, Horta, Portugal
| | | | - Kent Gilkinson
- Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, Fisheries and Ocean Canada, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Vonda E Wareham Hayes
- Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, Fisheries and Ocean Canada, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Dierk Hebbeln
- MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Kevin Hedges
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Lea-Anne Henry
- Changing Oceans Group, School of GeoSciences, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Mariano Koen-Alonso
- Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, Fisheries and Ocean Canada, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Cam Lirette
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Pablo Durán Muñoz
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo, Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain
| | - Covadonga Orejas
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares, Palma, Spain
| | - Maria Grazia Pennino
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo, Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain
| | - Patricia Puerta
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares, Palma, Spain
| | | | - Berta Ramiro-Sánchez
- Changing Oceans Group, School of GeoSciences, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jake Rice
- Fisheries and Ocean Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Jesús Rivera
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Madrid, Spain
| | - J Murray Roberts
- Changing Oceans Group, School of GeoSciences, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Steve W Ross
- Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA
| | - José L Rueda
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Íris Sampaio
- IMAR Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pesca, Universidade dos Açores, Horta, Portugal
- Marine Research Department, Senckenberg am Meer, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Paul Snelgrove
- Ocean Sciences Centre, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - David Stirling
- Marine Laboratory, Marine Scotland Science, Aberdeen, UK
| | | | - Javier Urra
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Johanne Vad
- Changing Oceans Group, School of GeoSciences, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Dick van Oevelen
- Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Utrecht University, Yerseke, The Netherlands
| | - Les Watling
- Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | | | - Claudia Wienberg
- MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | | | - Lisa A Levin
- Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation and Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Marina Carreiro-Silva
- Okeanos Research Centre, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pesca, Universidade dos Açores, Horta, Portugal
- IMAR Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pesca, Universidade dos Açores, Horta, Portugal
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18
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Galand PE, Remize M, Meistertzheim AL, Pruski AM, Peru E, Suhrhoff TJ, Le Bris N, Vétion G, Lartaud F. Diet shapes cold-water corals bacterial communities. Environ Microbiol 2019; 22:354-368. [PMID: 31696646 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Different cold-water coral (CWC) species harbour distinct microbial communities and the community composition is thought to be linked to the ecological strategies of the host. Here we test whether diet shapes the composition of bacterial communities associated with CWC. We compared the microbiomes of two common CWC species in aquaria, Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata, when they were either starved, or fed respectively with a carnivorous diet, two different herbivorous diets, or a mix of the 3. We targeted both the standing stock (16S rDNA) and the active fraction (16S rRNA) of the bacterial communities and showed that in both species, the corals' microbiome was specific to the given diet. A part of the microbiome remained, however, species-specific, which indicates that the microbiome's plasticity is framed by the identity of the host. In addition, the storage lipid content of the coral tissue showed that different diets had different effects on the corals' metabolisms. The combined results suggest that L. pertusa may be preying preferentially on zooplankton while M. oculata may in addition use phytoplankton and detritus. The results cast a new light on coral microbiomes as they indicate that a portion of the CWC's bacterial community could represent a food influenced microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre E Galand
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Banyuls-sur-Mer, 66500, France
| | - Marine Remize
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Banyuls-sur-Mer, 66500, France
| | - Anne-Leila Meistertzheim
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Banyuls-sur-Mer, 66500, France
| | - Audrey M Pruski
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Banyuls-sur-Mer, 66500, France
| | - Erwan Peru
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Banyuls-sur-Mer, 66500, France
| | - Tim Jesper Suhrhoff
- Jacobs University, Campus Ring 1, 28759, Bremen, Germany.,Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich, Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, Clausiusstrasse 25, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Nadine Le Bris
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Banyuls-sur-Mer, 66500, France
| | - Gilles Vétion
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Banyuls-sur-Mer, 66500, France
| | - Franck Lartaud
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Banyuls-sur-Mer, 66500, France
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19
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Büscher JV, Wisshak M, Form AU, Titschack J, Nachtigall K, Riebesell U. In situ growth and bioerosion rates of Lophelia pertusa in a Norwegian fjord and open shelf cold-water coral habitat. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7586. [PMID: 31579574 PMCID: PMC6764366 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Coral reef resilience depends on the balance between carbonate precipitation, leading to reef growth, and carbonate degradation, for example, through bioerosion. Changes in environmental conditions are likely to affect the two processes differently, thereby shifting the balance between reef growth and degradation. In cold-water corals estimates of accretion-erosion processes in their natural habitat are scarce and solely live coral growth rates were studied with regard to future environmental changes in the laboratory so far, limiting our ability to assess the potential of cold-water coral reef ecosystems to cope with environmental changes. In the present study, growth rates of the two predominant colour morphotypes of live Lophelia pertusa as well as bioerosion rates of dead coral framework were assessed in different environmental settings in Norwegian cold-water coral reefs in a 1-year in situ experiment. Net growth (in weight gain and linear extension) of live L. pertusa was in the lower range of previous estimates and did not significantly differ between inshore (fjord) and offshore (open shelf) habitats. However, slightly higher net growth rates were obtained inshore. Bioerosion rates were significantly higher on-reef in the fjord compared to off-reef deployments in- and offshore. Besides, on-reef coral fragments yielded a broader range of individual growth and bioerosion rates, indicating higher turnover in live reef structures than off-reef with regard to accretion-bioerosion processes. Moreover, if the higher variation in growth rates represents a greater variance in (genetic) adaptations to natural environmental variability in the fjord, inshore reefs could possibly benefit under future ocean change compared to offshore reefs. Although not significantly different due to high variances between replicates, growth rates of orange branches were consistently higher at all sites, while mortality was statistically significantly lower, potentially indicating higher stress-resistance than the less pigmented white phenotype. Comparing the here measured rates of net accretion of live corals (regardless of colour morphotype) with net erosion of dead coral framework gives a first estimate of the dimensions of both processes in natural cold-water coral habitats, indicating that calcium carbonate loss through bioerosion amounts to one fifth to one sixth of the production rates by coral calcification (disregarding accretion processes of other organisms and proportion of live and dead coral framework in a reef). With regard to likely accelerating bioerosion and diminishing growth rates of corals under ocean acidification, the balance of reef accretion and degradation may be shifted towards higher biogenic dissolution in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janina V Büscher
- Biological Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Max Wisshak
- Marine Research Department, Senckenberg am Meer, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Armin U Form
- Biological Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Jürgen Titschack
- Marine Research Department, Senckenberg am Meer, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.,Current Affiliation: Marine Sedimentology, MARUM-Center of Marine Environmental Sciences, Bremen, Germany
| | - Kerstin Nachtigall
- Biological Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Ulf Riebesell
- Biological Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
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20
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Urbarova I, Forêt S, Dahl M, Emblem Å, Milazzo M, Hall-Spencer JM, Johansen SD. Ocean acidification at a coastal CO2 vent induces expression of stress-related transcripts and transposable elements in the sea anemone Anemonia viridis. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0210358. [PMID: 31067218 PMCID: PMC6505742 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Ocean acidification threatens to disrupt interactions between organisms throughout marine ecosystems. The diversity of reef-building organisms decreases as seawater CO2 increases along natural gradients, yet soft-bodied animals, such as sea anemones, are often resilient. We sequenced the polyA-enriched transcriptome of adult sea anemone Anemonia viridis and its dinoflagellate symbiont sampled along a natural CO2 gradient in Italy to assess stress levels in these organisms. We found that about 1.4% of the anemone transcripts, but only ~0.5% of the Symbiodinium sp. transcripts were differentially expressed. Processes enriched at high seawater CO2 were mainly linked to cellular stress, including significant up-regulation of protective cellular functions and deregulation of metabolic pathways. Transposable elements were differentially expressed at high seawater CO2, with an extreme up-regulation (> 100-fold) of the BEL-family of long terminal repeat retrotransposons. Seawater acidified by CO2 generated a significant stress reaction in A. viridis, but no bleaching was observed and Symbiodinium sp. appeared to be less affected. These observed changes indicate the mechanisms by which A. viridis acclimate to survive chronic exposure to ocean acidification conditions. We conclude that many organisms that are common in acidified conditions may nevertheless incur costs due to hypercapnia and/or lowered carbonate saturation states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilona Urbarova
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- * E-mail: (IU); (SDJ)
| | - Sylvain Forêt
- Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Mikael Dahl
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Åse Emblem
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Marco Milazzo
- Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Jason M. Hall-Spencer
- School of Biological and Marine Science, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
- Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Shimoda City, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Steinar D. Johansen
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Genomics Research Group, Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University, Bodø, Norway
- * E-mail: (IU); (SDJ)
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21
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Gómez CE, Wickes L, Deegan D, Etnoyer PJ, Cordes EE. Growth and feeding of deep-sea coral Lophelia pertusa from the California margin under simulated ocean acidification conditions. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5671. [PMID: 30280039 PMCID: PMC6164558 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The global decrease in seawater pH known as ocean acidification has important ecological consequences and is an imminent threat for numerous marine organisms. Even though the deep sea is generally considered to be a stable environment, it can be dynamic and vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances including increasing temperature, deoxygenation, ocean acidification and pollution. Lophelia pertusa is among the better-studied cold-water corals but was only recently documented along the US West Coast, growing in acidified conditions. In the present study, coral fragments were collected at ∼300 m depth along the southern California margin and kept in recirculating tanks simulating conditions normally found in the natural environment for this species. At the collection site, waters exhibited persistently low pH and aragonite saturation states (Ωarag) with average values for pH of 7.66 ± 0.01 and Ωarag of 0.81 ± 0.07. In the laboratory, fragments were grown for three weeks in "favorable" pH/Ωarag of 7.9/1.47 (aragonite saturated) and "unfavorable" pH/Ωarag of 7.6/0.84 (aragonite undersaturated) conditions. There was a highly significant treatment effect (P < 0.001) with an average% net calcification for favorable conditions of 0.023 ± 0.009% d-1 and net dissolution of -0.010 ± 0.014% d-1 for unfavorable conditions. We did not find any treatment effect on feeding rates, which suggests that corals did not depress feeding in low pH/ Ωarag in an attempt to conserve energy. However, these results suggest that the suboptimal conditions for L. pertusa from the California margin could potentially threaten the persistence of this cold-water coral with negative consequences for the future stability of this already fragile ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos E Gómez
- Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Leslie Wickes
- JHT, Inc, Orlando, FL, United States of America.,Thrive Blue, LLC, Denver, CO, United States of America
| | - Dan Deegan
- Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Peter J Etnoyer
- NOAA National Center for Coastal Ocean Science, Charleston, SC, United States of America
| | - Erik E Cordes
- Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
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22
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Macreadie PI, McLean DL, Thomson PG, Partridge JC, Jones DOB, Gates AR, Benfield MC, Collin SP, Booth DJ, Smith LL, Techera E, Skropeta D, Horton T, Pattiaratchi C, Bond T, Fowler AM. Eyes in the sea: Unlocking the mysteries of the ocean using industrial, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 634:1077-1091. [PMID: 29660864 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Revised: 04/01/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
For thousands of years humankind has sought to explore our oceans. Evidence of this early intrigue dates back to 130,000BCE, but the advent of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) in the 1950s introduced technology that has had significant impact on ocean exploration. Today, ROVs play a critical role in both military (e.g. retrieving torpedoes and mines) and salvage operations (e.g. locating historic shipwrecks such as the RMS Titanic), and are crucial for oil and gas (O&G) exploration and operations. Industrial ROVs collect millions of observations of our oceans each year, fueling scientific discoveries. Herein, we assembled a group of international ROV experts from both academia and industry to reflect on these discoveries and, more importantly, to identify key questions relating to our oceans that can be supported using industry ROVs. From a long list, we narrowed down to the 10 most important questions in ocean science that we feel can be supported (whole or in part) by increasing access to industry ROVs, and collaborations with the companies that use them. The questions covered opportunity (e.g. what is the resource value of the oceans?) to the impacts of global change (e.g. which marine ecosystems are most sensitive to anthropogenic impact?). Looking ahead, we provide recommendations for how data collected by ROVs can be maximised by higher levels of collaboration between academia and industry, resulting in win-win outcomes. What is clear from this work is that the potential of industrial ROV technology in unravelling the mysteries of our oceans is only just beginning to be realised. This is particularly important as the oceans are subject to increasing impacts from global change and industrial exploitation. The coming decades will represent an important time for scientists to partner with industry that use ROVs in order to make the most of these 'eyes in the sea'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter I Macreadie
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Victoria 3216, Australia.
| | - Dianne L McLean
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Paul G Thomson
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia; School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Julian C Partridge
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Daniel O B Jones
- National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
| | - Andrew R Gates
- National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
| | - Mark C Benfield
- Louisiana State University, Collegee of the Coast and Environment, Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Shaun P Collin
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - David J Booth
- Fish Ecology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney, Broadway, 2007, Australia
| | - Luke L Smith
- Woodside Energy, 240 Georges Terace, Perth, Western Australia 6000, Australia
| | - Erika Techera
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Danielle Skropeta
- School of Chemistry, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, 2500, Australia
| | - Tammy Horton
- National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
| | - Charitha Pattiaratchi
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Todd Bond
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Ashley M Fowler
- Fish Ecology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney, Broadway, 2007, Australia; New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, NSW, 2088, Australia
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23
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Ocean sprawl facilitates dispersal and connectivity of protected species. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11346. [PMID: 30115932 PMCID: PMC6095900 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29575-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Highly connected networks generally improve resilience in complex systems. We present a novel application of this paradigm and investigated the potential for anthropogenic structures in the ocean to enhance connectivity of a protected species threatened by human pressures and climate change. Biophysical dispersal models of a protected coral species simulated potential connectivity between oil and gas installations across the North Sea but also metapopulation outcomes for naturally occurring corals downstream. Network analyses illustrated how just a single generation of virtual larvae released from these installations could create a highly connected anthropogenic system, with larvae becoming competent to settle over a range of natural deep-sea, shelf and fjord coral ecosystems including a marine protected area. These results provide the first study showing that a system of anthropogenic structures can have international conservation significance by creating ecologically connected networks and by acting as stepping stones for cross-border interconnection to natural populations.
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24
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Gammon MJ, Tracey DM, Marriott PM, Cummings VJ, Davy SK. The physiological response of the deep-sea coral Solenosmilia variabilis to ocean acidification. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5236. [PMID: 30042891 PMCID: PMC6055589 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Several forms of calcifying scleractinian corals provide important habitat complexity in the deep-sea and are consistently associated with a high biodiversity of fish and other invertebrates. How these corals may respond to the future predicted environmental conditions of ocean acidification is poorly understood, but any detrimental effects on these marine calcifiers will have wider impacts on the ecosystem. Colonies of Solenosmilia variabilis, a protected deep-sea coral commonly occurring throughout the New Zealand region, were collected during a cruise in March 2014 from the Louisville Seamount Chain. Over a 12-month period, samples were maintained in temperature controlled (∼3.5 °C) continuous flow-through tanks at a seawater pH that reflects the region's current conditions (7.88) and an end-of-century scenario (7.65). Impacts on coral growth and the intensity of colour saturation (as a proxy for the coenenchyme tissue that covers the coral exoskeleton and links the coral polyps) were measured bimonthly. In addition, respiration rate was measured after a mid-term (six months) and long-term (12 months) exposure period. Growth rates were highly variable, ranging from 0.53 to 3.068 mm year-1 and showed no detectable difference between the treatment and control colonies. Respiration rates also varied independently of pH and ranged from 0.065 to 1.756 µmol O2 g protein-1 h-1. A significant change in colour was observed in the treatment group over time, indicating a loss of coenenchyme. This loss was greatest after 10 months at 5.28% and could indicate a reallocation of energy with physiological processes (e.g. growth and respiration) being maintained at the expense of coenenchyme production. This research illustrates important first steps to assessing and understanding the sensitivity of deep-sea corals to ocean acidification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malindi J Gammon
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Dianne M Tracey
- National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Peter M Marriott
- National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Vonda J Cummings
- National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Simon K Davy
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
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25
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Perez FF, Fontela M, García-Ibáñez MI, Mercier H, Velo A, Lherminier P, Zunino P, de la Paz M, Alonso-Pérez F, Guallart EF, Padin XA. Meridional overturning circulation conveys fast acidification to the deep Atlantic Ocean. Nature 2018; 554:515-518. [PMID: 29433125 DOI: 10.1038/nature25493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Since the Industrial Revolution, the North Atlantic Ocean has been accumulating anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) and experiencing ocean acidification, that is, an increase in the concentration of hydrogen ions (a reduction in pH) and a reduction in the concentration of carbonate ions. The latter causes the 'aragonite saturation horizon'-below which waters are undersaturated with respect to a particular calcium carbonate, aragonite-to move to shallower depths (to shoal), exposing corals to corrosive waters. Here we use a database analysis to show that the present rate of supply of acidified waters to the deep Atlantic could cause the aragonite saturation horizon to shoal by 1,000-1,700 metres in the subpolar North Atlantic within the next three decades. We find that, during 1991-2016, a decrease in the concentration of carbonate ions in the Irminger Sea caused the aragonite saturation horizon to shoal by about 10-15 metres per year, and the volume of aragonite-saturated waters to reduce concomitantly. Our determination of the transport of the excess of carbonate over aragonite saturation (xc[CO32-])-an indicator of the availability of aragonite to organisms-by the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation shows that the present-day transport of carbonate ions towards the deep ocean is about 44 per cent lower than it was in preindustrial times. We infer that a doubling of atmospheric anthropogenic CO2 levels-which could occur within three decades according to a 'business-as-usual scenario' for climate change-could reduce the transport of xc[CO32-] by 64-79 per cent of that in preindustrial times, which could severely endanger cold-water coral habitats. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation would also export this acidified deep water southwards, spreading corrosive waters to the world ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiz F Perez
- Instituto Investigaciones Marinas (IIM, CSIC), calle Eduardo Cabello, 6, 36208, Vigo, Spain
| | - Marcos Fontela
- Instituto Investigaciones Marinas (IIM, CSIC), calle Eduardo Cabello, 6, 36208, Vigo, Spain
| | | | - Herlé Mercier
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Ifremer, Université de Brest, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), Centre Ifremer de Bretagne, 29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Anton Velo
- Instituto Investigaciones Marinas (IIM, CSIC), calle Eduardo Cabello, 6, 36208, Vigo, Spain
| | - Pascale Lherminier
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Ifremer, Université de Brest, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), Centre Ifremer de Bretagne, 29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Patricia Zunino
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Ifremer, Université de Brest, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), Centre Ifremer de Bretagne, 29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Mercedes de la Paz
- Instituto Investigaciones Marinas (IIM, CSIC), calle Eduardo Cabello, 6, 36208, Vigo, Spain
| | - Fernando Alonso-Pérez
- Instituto Investigaciones Marinas (IIM, CSIC), calle Eduardo Cabello, 6, 36208, Vigo, Spain
| | - Elisa F Guallart
- Instituto Investigaciones Marinas (IIM, CSIC), calle Eduardo Cabello, 6, 36208, Vigo, Spain
| | - Xose A Padin
- Instituto Investigaciones Marinas (IIM, CSIC), calle Eduardo Cabello, 6, 36208, Vigo, Spain
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26
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The potential for coral reef establishment through free-living stabilization. Sci Rep 2017; 7:13322. [PMID: 29042632 PMCID: PMC5645366 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-13668-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Corals thrive in a variety of environments, from low wave and tidal energy lagoons, to high energy tidal reef flats, but remain dependent upon suitable substrate. Herein we reviewed the phenomenon of free-living corals (coralliths), examined whether they have the capacity to create their own stable habitat in otherwise uninhabitable, poor substrate environments through ‘free-living stabilization’, and explore their potential ecological role on coral reefs. This stabilization could be achieved by coral settlement and survival on mobile substrate, with subsequent growth into free-living coralliths until a critical mass is reached that prevents further movement. This allows for secondary reef colonization by other coral species. To preliminarily test this hypothesis we provide evidence that the potential to support secondary coral colonisation increases with corallith size. Due to the limited diversity of corallith species observed here and in the literature, and the lack of physiological differences exhibited by coralliths here to static controls, it seems likely that only a small selection of coral species have the ability to form coralliths, and the potential to create their own stable habitat.
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27
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Vad J, Orejas C, Moreno-Navas J, Findlay HS, Roberts JM. Assessing the living and dead proportions of cold-water coral colonies: implications for deep-water Marine Protected Area monitoring in a changing ocean. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3705. [PMID: 29018595 PMCID: PMC5632539 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Coral growth patterns result from an interplay of coral biology and environmental conditions. In this study colony size and proportion of live and dead skeletons in the cold-water coral (CWC) Lophelia pertusa (Linnaeus, 1758) were measured using video footage from Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) transects conducted at the inshore Mingulay Reef Complex (MRC) and at the offshore PISCES site (Rockall Bank) in the NE Atlantic. The main goal of this paper was to explore the development of a simple method to quantify coral growth and its potential application as an assessment tool of the health of these remote habitats. Eighteen colonies were selected and whole colony and dead/living layer size were measured. Live to dead layer ratios for each colony were then determined and analysed. The age of each colony was estimated using previously published data. Our paper shows that: (1) two distinct morphotypes can be described: at the MRC, colonies displayed a ‘cauliflower-shaped’ morphotype whereas at the PISCES site, colonies presented a more flattened ‘bush-shaped’ morphotype; (2) living layer size was positively correlated with whole colony size; (3) live to dead layer ratio was negatively correlated to whole colony size; (4) live to dead layer ratio never exceeded 0.27. These results suggest that as a colony develops and its growth rate slows down, the proportion of living polyps in the colony decreases. Furthermore, at least 73% of L. pertusa colonies are composed of exposed dead coral skeleton, vulnerable to ocean acidification and the associated shallowing of the aragonite saturation horizon, with significant implications for future deep-sea reef framework integrity. The clear visual contrast between white/pale living and grey/dark dead portions of the colonies also gives a new way by which they can be visually monitored over time. The increased use of marine autonomous survey vehicles offers an important new platform from which such a surveying technique could be applied to monitor deep-water marine protected areas in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanne Vad
- School of Engineering Geoscience Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,School of Geoscience, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Covadonga Orejas
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares, Palma, Spain
| | - Juan Moreno-Navas
- Physical Oceanography Research Group, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | | | - J Murray Roberts
- School of Geoscience, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, United States of America
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Defying Dissolution: Discovery of Deep-Sea Scleractinian Coral Reefs in the North Pacific. Sci Rep 2017; 7:5436. [PMID: 28710443 PMCID: PMC5511196 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05492-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep-sea scleractinian coral reefs are protected ecologically and biologically significant areas that support global fisheries. The absence of observations of deep-sea scleractinian reefs in the Central and Northeast Pacific, combined with the shallow aragonite saturation horizon (ASH) and high carbonate dissolution rates there, fueled the hypothesis that reef formation in the North Pacific was improbable. Despite this, we report the discovery of live scleractinian reefs on six seamounts of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and Emperor Seamount Chain at depths of 535-732 m and aragonite saturation state (Ωarag) values of 0.71-1.33. Although the ASH becomes deeper moving northwest along the chains, the depth distribution of the reefs becomes shallower, suggesting the ASH is having little influence on their distribution. Higher chlorophyll moving to the northwest may partially explain the geographic distribution of the reefs. Principle Components Analysis suggests that currents are also an important factor in their distribution, but neither chlorophyll nor the available current data can explain the unexpected depth distribution. Further environmental data is needed to elucidate the reason for the distribution of these reefs. The discovery of reef-forming scleractinians in this region is of concern because a number of the sites occur on seamounts with active trawl fisheries.
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De Clippele LH, Gafeira J, Robert K, Hennige S, Lavaleye MS, Duineveld GCA, Huvenne VAI, Roberts JM. Using novel acoustic and visual mapping tools to predict the small-scale spatial distribution of live biogenic reef framework in cold-water coral habitats. CORAL REEFS (ONLINE) 2017; 36:255-268. [PMID: 32269410 PMCID: PMC7114964 DOI: 10.1007/s00338-016-1519-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Accepted: 11/11/2016] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Cold-water corals form substantial biogenic habitats on continental shelves and in deep-sea areas with topographic highs, such as banks and seamounts. In the Atlantic, many reef and mound complexes are engineered by Lophelia pertusa, the dominant framework-forming coral. In this study, a variety of mapping approaches were used at a range of scales to map the distribution of both cold-water coral habitats and individual coral colonies at the Mingulay Reef Complex (west Scotland). The new ArcGIS-based British Geological Survey (BGS) seabed mapping toolbox semi-automatically delineated over 500 Lophelia reef 'mini-mounds' from bathymetry data with 2-m resolution. The morphometric and acoustic characteristics of the mini-mounds were also automatically quantified and captured using this toolbox. Coral presence data were derived from high-definition remotely operated vehicle (ROV) records and high-resolution microbathymetry collected by a ROV-mounted multibeam echosounder. With a resolution of 0.35 × 0.35 m, the microbathymetry covers 0.6 km2 in the centre of the study area and allowed identification of individual live coral colonies in acoustic data for the first time. Maximum water depth, maximum rugosity, mean rugosity, bathymetric positioning index and maximum current speed were identified as the environmental variables that contributed most to the prediction of live coral presence. These variables were used to create a predictive map of the likelihood of presence of live cold-water coral colonies in the area of the Mingulay Reef Complex covered by the 2-m resolution data set. Predictive maps of live corals across the reef will be especially valuable for future long-term monitoring surveys, including those needed to understand the impacts of global climate change. This is the first study using the newly developed BGS seabed mapping toolbox and an ROV-based microbathymetric grid to explore the environmental variables that control coral growth on cold-water coral reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- L. H. De Clippele
- Centre for Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology, School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS UK
| | - J. Gafeira
- British Geological Survey, Lyell Centre, Research Ave S, Edinburgh, EH14 4AP UK
| | - K. Robert
- Marine Geoscience, National Oceanographic Centre, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH UK
| | - S. Hennige
- University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute, James Hutton Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FE UK
| | - M. S. Lavaleye
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Ocean Systems Sciences, and Utrecht University, PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - G. C. A. Duineveld
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Ocean Systems Sciences, and Utrecht University, PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - V. A. I. Huvenne
- Marine Geoscience, National Oceanographic Centre, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH UK
| | - J. M. Roberts
- University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute, James Hutton Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FE UK
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Maier C, Popp P, Sollfrank N, Weinbauer MG, Wild C, Gattuso JP. Effects of elevated pCO2 and feeding on net calcification and energy budget of the Mediterranean cold-water coral Madrepora oculata. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 219:3208-3217. [PMID: 27471280 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.127159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Ocean acidification is a major threat to calcifying marine organisms such as deep-sea cold-water corals (CWCs), but related knowledge is scarce. The aragonite saturation threshold (Ωa) for calcification, respiration and organic matter fluxes were investigated experimentally in the Mediterranean Madrepora oculata Over 10 weeks, colonies were maintained under two feeding regimes (uptake of 36.75 and 7.46 µmol C polyp-1 week-1) and exposed in 2 week intervals to a consecutively changing air-CO2 mix (pCO2) of 400, 1600, 800, 2000 and 400 ppm. There was a significant effect of feeding on calcification at initial ambient pCO2, while with consecutive pCO2 treatments, feeding had no effect on calcification. Respiration was not significantly affected by feeding or pCO2 levels. Coral skeletons started to dissolve at an average Ωa threshold of 0.92, but recovered and started to calcify again at Ωa≥1. The surplus energy required to counteract dissolution at elevated pCO2 (≥1600 µatm) was twice that at ambient pCO2 Yet, feeding had no mitigating effect at increasing pCO2 levels. This could be due to the fact that the energy required for calcification is a small fraction (1-3%) of the total metabolic energy demand and corals even under low food conditions might therefore still be able to allocate this small portion of energy to calcification. The response and resistance to ocean acidification are consequently not controlled by feeding in this species, but more likely by chemical reactions at the site of calcification and exchange processes between the calicoblastic layer and ambient seawater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia Maier
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, Observatoire Océanologique de Villefranche, Villefranche-sur-mer 06230, France .,CNRS-INSU, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, BP 28, Villefranche-sur-mer 06234, France
| | - Pauline Popp
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, Observatoire Océanologique de Villefranche, Villefranche-sur-mer 06230, France.,CNRS-INSU, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, BP 28, Villefranche-sur-mer 06234, France
| | - Nicole Sollfrank
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, Observatoire Océanologique de Villefranche, Villefranche-sur-mer 06230, France.,CNRS-INSU, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, BP 28, Villefranche-sur-mer 06234, France
| | - Markus G Weinbauer
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, Observatoire Océanologique de Villefranche, Villefranche-sur-mer 06230, France.,CNRS-INSU, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, BP 28, Villefranche-sur-mer 06234, France
| | - Christian Wild
- University of Bremen, Faculty of Biology & Chemistry, Leobener Strasse, Bremen D-28359, Germany
| | - Jean-Pierre Gattuso
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, Observatoire Océanologique de Villefranche, Villefranche-sur-mer 06230, France.,CNRS-INSU, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, BP 28, Villefranche-sur-mer 06234, France.,Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations, Sciences Po, 27 rue Saint Guillaume, Paris F-75007, France
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31
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Gori A, Ferrier-Pagès C, Hennige SJ, Murray F, Rottier C, Wicks LC, Roberts JM. Physiological response of the cold-water coral Desmophyllum dianthus to thermal stress and ocean acidification. PeerJ 2016; 4:e1606. [PMID: 26855864 PMCID: PMC4741066 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 12/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Rising temperatures and ocean acidification driven by anthropogenic carbon emissions threaten both tropical and temperate corals. However, the synergistic effect of these stressors on coral physiology is still poorly understood, in particular for cold-water corals. This study assessed changes in key physiological parameters (calcification, respiration and ammonium excretion) of the widespread cold-water coral Desmophyllum dianthus maintained for ∼8 months at two temperatures (ambient 12 °C and elevated 15 °C) and two pCO2 conditions (ambient 390 ppm and elevated 750 ppm). At ambient temperatures no change in instantaneous calcification, respiration or ammonium excretion rates was observed at either pCO2 levels. Conversely, elevated temperature (15 °C) significantly reduced calcification rates, and combined elevated temperature and pCO2 significantly reduced respiration rates. Changes in the ratio of respired oxygen to excreted nitrogen (O:N), which provides information on the main sources of energy being metabolized, indicated a shift from mixed use of protein and carbohydrate/lipid as metabolic substrates under control conditions, to less efficient protein-dominated catabolism under both stressors. Overall, this study shows that the physiology of D. dianthus is more sensitive to thermal than pCO2 stress, and that the predicted combination of rising temperatures and ocean acidification in the coming decades may severely impact this cold-water coral species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Gori
- Centre for Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Coral Ecophysiology, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Monaco, Principality of Monaco
| | | | - Sebastian J. Hennige
- Centre for Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona Murray
- Centre for Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Cécile Rottier
- Coral Ecophysiology, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Monaco, Principality of Monaco
| | - Laura C. Wicks
- Centre for Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - J. Murray Roberts
- Centre for Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
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