Diverse coral communities in naturally acidified waters of a Western Pacific reef

Shamberger, Kathryn E. F.; Cohen, Anne L.; Golbuu, Yimnang; McCorkle, Daniel C.; Lentz, Steven J.; Barkley, Hannah C.

doi:10.1002/2013gl058489

Cited by 125 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…V arag 2.4; table 1). Our results suggest that responses to winter conditions, perhaps through seasonal acclimatization (sensu [45]) or perhaps by local adaptation to low V arag [15], does not appear to drive the response of these reef calcifiers to OA. However, this outcome does not exclude the possibility that reef calcifiers are acclimatized or adapted to other physical conditions unique to each location (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…More subtle responses to OA have also been shown in recent studies reporting signs of resistance to OA for some reef calcifiers [11][12][13]. Field observations at underwater CO 2 vents in Papua New Guinea and sites with high seawater pCO 2 in Palau have also shown that some reef calcifiers can persist in naturally acidified conditions [14,15]. For calcifying algae, the responses to increasing pCO 2 are diverse, with some studies reporting a decrease in calcification and an increase in bleaching in acidified conditions [16,17], and others detecting resistance to OA [12,18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

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Pacific-wide contrast highlights resistance of reef calcifiers to ocean acidification

et al. 2014

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Ocean acidification (OA) and its associated decline in calcium carbonate saturation states is one of the major threats that tropical coral reefs face this century. Previous studies of the effect of OA on coral reef calcifiers have described a wide variety of outcomes for studies using comparable partial pressure of CO 2 (pCO 2 ) ranges, suggesting that key questions remain unresolved. One unresolved hypothesis posits that heterogeneity in the response of reef calcifiers to high pCO 2 is a result of regional-scale variation in the responses to OA. To test this hypothesis, we incubated two coral taxa (Pocillopora damicornis and massive Porites) and two calcified algae (Porolithon onkodes and Halimeda macroloba) under 400, 700 and 1000 matm pCO 2 levels in experiments in Moorea (French Polynesia), Hawaii (USA) and Okinawa (Japan), where environmental conditions differ. Both corals and H. macroloba were insensitive to OA at all three locations, while the effects of OA on P. onkodes were locationspecific. In Moorea and Hawaii, calcification of P. onkodes was depressed by high pCO 2 , but for specimens in Okinawa, there was no effect of OA. Using a study of large geographical scale, we show that resistance to OA of some reef species is a constitutive character expressed across the Pacific.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Pacific-wide contrast highlights resistance of reef calcifiers to ocean acidification

et al. 2014

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“…Across global locations, there are reports of shallow in-shore reef systems being regularly exposed (albeit for different durations) to conditions predicted for the open-ocean under climate change by the end of the century (e.g., Hofmann et al, 2011;Price et al, 2012;Albright et al, 2013;Guadayol et al, 2014;Kline et al, 2015). The shallow water depth and reduced residency time of inshore waters can create an inshore to offshore carbonate chemistry gradient (Manzello et al, 2012;Shamberger et al, 2014;Camp et al, 2016a). Nutrient run-off and freshwater input can influence A T , while the metabolic activity of local benthos can change pCO 2 levels.…”

Section: Shallow In-shore Variable Reef Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Future of Coral Reefs Subject to Rapid Climate Change: Lessons from Natural Extreme Environments

et al. 2018

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Global climate change and localized anthropogenic stressors are driving rapid declines in coral reef health. In vitro experiments have been fundamental in providing insight into how reef organisms will potentially respond to future climates. However, such experiments are inevitably limited in their ability to reproduce the complex interactions that govern reef systems. Studies examining coral communities that already persist under naturally-occurring extreme and marginal physicochemical conditions have therefore become increasingly popular to advance ecosystem scale predictions of future reef form and function, although no single site provides a perfect analog to future reefs. Here we review the current state of knowledge that exists on the distribution of corals in marginal and extreme environments, and geographic sites at the latitudinal extremes of reef growth, as well as a variety of shallow reef systems and reef-neighboring environments (including upwelling and CO 2 vent sites). We also conduct a synthesis of the abiotic data that have been collected at these systems, to provide the first collective assessment on the range of extreme conditions under which corals currently persist. We use the review and data synthesis to increase our understanding of the biological and ecological mechanisms that facilitate survival and success under sub-optimal physicochemical conditions. This comprehensive assessment can begin to: (i) highlight the extent of extreme abiotic scenarios under which corals can persist, (ii) explore whether there are commonalities in coral taxa able to persist in such extremes, (iii) provide evidence for key mechanisms required to support survival and/or persistence under sub-optimal environmental conditions, and (iv) evaluate the potential of current sub-optimal coral environments to act as potential refugia under changing environmental conditions. Such a collective approach is critical to better understand the future survival of corals in our changing environment. We finally outline priority areas for future research on extreme and marginal coral environments, and discuss the additional management options they may provide for corals through refuge or by providing genetic stocks of stress tolerant corals to support proactive management strategies.

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“…From a thermodynamic perspective, organisms expend more energy to calcify at lower saturation states, and at undersaturation, dissolution of CaCO 3 may exceed precipitation (Andersson et al 2011;Mackenzie and Andersson 2013). A recent study by Shamberger et al (2014) found that coral cover, diversity, and richness were maintained in waters with X ar \ 2.7 at Rock Island, Palau. While this observation may have hopeful implications for some reefs in an OA world, northern reefs in the NWHI experience a combination of growth-inhibiting environmental factors (e.g., high temperature variability, strong storm events, less light availability) (Grigg 1982), in addition to low aragonite saturation states.…”

Section: Aragonite Saturationmentioning

confidence: 96%

Latitudinal Trends and Drivers in the CO2–Carbonic Acid System of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

et al. 2015

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Emissions of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to the atmosphere and the consequent effects of climate change and ocean acidification on coral reef ecosystems have motivated significant interest in describing and understanding the CO 2 -carbonic acid system of diverse coral reef environments. Although numerous studies have been successful in monitoring reef metabolism both in the field and in the laboratory, physical and biological forcings produce distinct conditions among environments. Due to the geographic isolation and associated difficulties with measuring marine carbon chemistry in waters of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM), relatively few studies have described the CO 2 -carbonic acid system and carbonate saturation state gradients of these waters. Yet, PMNM remains one of the largest conservation areas in the world with extensive and diverse coral reef ecosystems that could offer valuable insight into our current and future understanding about regional and global impacts of ocean acidification. In order to provide a broad overview of latitudinal trends and features of the marine carbon system in PMNM waters, continuous measurements for surface seawater fugacity of CO 2 (fCO 2 ) and pH were collected during August 2011 and July 2012 cruises of the NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai. These 123Aquat Geochem (2015) 21:535-553 DOI 10.1007/s10498-015-9273-z measurements indicate that pH and fCO 2 are three times more variable in nearshore monument waters relative to open ocean transect measurements. This variability can be observed up to 50 km away from the nearest reef and is likely the result of the direct and significant impact of coral reef metabolism on marine carbon chemistry around the islands and atolls. The relationship between total alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon is consistent with net calcification which creates an alkalinity sink throughout PMNM waters. Additionally, our measurements show clear latitudinal trends in fCO 2 , pH, and aragonite saturation state that are influenced by environmental forcings, including temperature, wind speed, and residence time of the water. Collectively, our results suggest that coral reefs located at the northernmost atolls of PMNM may be the most susceptible to the adverse impacts of climate change and ocean acidification.

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Diverse coral communities in naturally acidified waters of a Western Pacific reef

Cited by 125 publications

References 25 publications

Pacific-wide contrast highlights resistance of reef calcifiers to ocean acidification

Pacific-wide contrast highlights resistance of reef calcifiers to ocean acidification

The Future of Coral Reefs Subject to Rapid Climate Change: Lessons from Natural Extreme Environments

Latitudinal Trends and Drivers in the CO2–Carbonic Acid System of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

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