Growth characteristics of the reef-building coral Porites astreoides under different environmental conditions in the Western Atlantic

Elizalde-Rendón, E. M.; Horta‐Puga, Guillermo; González‐Díaz, Patricia; Carricart‐Ganivet, Juan P.

doi:10.1007/s00338-010-0604-7

Cited by 34 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, linear extension rates decline when skeletal bulk density increases with temperature (Carricart-Ganivet, 2004). In Atlantic Porites (Elizalde-Rendon et al, 2010) the response of linear extension with temperature agrees with that of Porites from the Indo-Pacific, but no temperature effect on bulk density is evident (Elizalde-Rendon et al, 2010). It has been suggested, therefore, that the calcification strategies of the two coral genera and their species differ with regard to successfully colonising space on a reef.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…More recent studies have shown the systematics of calcification to differ among taxa and ocean regions. While temperature tends to boost calcification rates in recent z corals, temperature effects on extension rate and density markedly differ (Carricart-Ganivet, 2004;Elizalde-Rendon et al, 2010;Lough, 2008;Norzagary-Lopez et al, 2014). In the IndoPacific genus Porites, linear extension rate shows a significant increase with sea-water temperature but a concomitant decrease in bulk skeletal density (Lough, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Upwellings mitigated Plio-Pleistocene heat stress for reef corals on the Florida platform (USA)

et al. 2016

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Abstract. The fast growing calcareous skeletons of zooxanthellate reef corals (z corals) represent unique environmental proxy archives through their oxygen and carbon stable isotope composition (δ 18 O, δ 13 C). In addition, the accretion of the skeleton itself is ultimately linked to the environment and responds with variable growth rates (extension rate) and density to environmental changes. Here we present classical proxy data (δ 18 O, δ 13 C) in combination with calcification records from 15 massive z corals. The z corals were sampled from four interglacial units of the Florida carbonate platform (USA) dated approximately 3.2, 2.9, 1.8 and 1.2 Ma (middle Pliocene to early Pleistocene). The z corals (Solenastrea, Orbicella, Porites) derive from unlithified shallow marine carbonates and were carefully screened for primary preservation suited for proxy analysis. We show that skeletal accretion responded with decreasing overall calcification rates (decreasing extension rate but increasing density) to warmer water temperatures. Under high annual water temperatures, inferred from sub-annually resolved δ 18 O data, skeletal bulk density was high, but extension rates and overall calcification rates were at a minimum (endmember scenario 1). Maximum skeletal density was reached during the summer season giving rise to a growth band of high density within the annually banded skeletons ("high density band", HDB). With low mean annual water temperatures (endmember scenario 2), bulk skeletal density was low but extension rates and calcification rates reached a maximum, and under these conditions the HDB formed during winter. Although surface water temperatures in the Western Atlantic warm pool during the interglacials of the late Neogene were ∼ 2 • C higher than they are in the present day, intermittent upwelling of cool, nutrient-rich water mitigated water temperatures off southwestern Florida and created temporary refuges for z coral growth. Based on the sub-annually resolved δ 18 O and δ 13 C records, the duration of the upwelling episodes causing the endmember 2 conditions was variable and lasted from a few years to a number of decades. The episodes of upwelling were interrupted by phases without upwelling (endmember 1) which lasted for at least a few years and led to high surface water temperatures. This variable environment is likely one of the reasons why the coral fauna is dominated by the eurytopic genus Solenastrea, also a genus resistant to high turbidity. Over a period of ∼ 50 years, the oldest sub annually resolved proxy record available (3.2 Ma) documents a persistent occurrence of the HDB during winter. In contrast, the HDB forms in summer in modern z corals from the Florida reef tract. We suggest this difference should be tested as being the expression of a tendency towards decreasing interglacial upwelling since the middle Pliocene. The number of z coral sclerochronological records for the Plio-Pleistocene is still rather low, however, and requires more data and an improved resolution, through records from...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upwellings mitigated Plio-Pleistocene heat stress for reef corals on the Florida platform (USA)

et al. 2016

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“…In recent Porites, the situation is more complex, because the pattern is documented only in the IP (Lough, 2008), but not in the WA (Elizalde-Rendon et al, 2010). (2) Extension rate and calcification rate showing a positive relation has been described also in recent Porites from the WA and IP (Elizalde-Rendon et al, 2010;Lough, 2008), but not in Orbicella from the WA which differ by a negative slope (Carricart-Ganivet, 2004). This is a surprising result, because the skeletal organization of Solenastrea closely resembles that of Orbicella and differs significantly from Porites, a pattern which was expected to be reflected in the systematics of calcification.…”

Section: Descriptive Patterns Of Calcification In Recent and Fossil Zmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…This is a surprising result, because the skeletal organization of Solenastrea closely resembles that of Orbicella and differs significantly from Porites, a pattern which was expected to be reflected in the systematics of calcification. (3) The fossil Solenastrea and recent Orbicella and Porites display deviating relationships with regard to bulk density and calcification rates: while the fossil Solenastrea shows no relationship, it is positive in Orbicella and WA-Porites but negative in IP-Porites (Carricart-Ganivet, 2004;Elizalde-Rendon et al, 2010;Lough, 2008). When plotted against water temperatures, the three calcification parameters and qualitative trends of the fossils are rather consistent with those of recent Orbicella from the WA (Carricart-Ganivet, 2004), both, in terms of the overall effects of temperature on extension rate and on bulk density.…”

Section: Descriptive Patterns Of Calcification In Recent and Fossil Zmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low Florida coral calcification rates in the Plio-Pleistocene

et al. 2016

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Abstract. In geological outcrops and drill cores from reef frameworks, the skeletons of scleractinian corals are usually leached and more or less completely transformed into sparry calcite because the highly porous skeletons formed of metastable aragonite (CaCO 3 ) undergo rapid diagenetic alteration. Upon alteration, ghost structures of the distinct annual growth bands often allow for reconstructions of annual extension (= growth) rates, but information on skeletal density needed for reconstructions of calcification rates is invariably lost. This report presents the bulk density, extension rates and calcification rates of fossil reef corals which underwent minor diagenetic alteration only. The corals derive from unlithified shallow water carbonates of the Florida platform (south-eastern USA), which formed during four interglacial sea level highstands dated approximately 3.2, 2.9, 1.8, and 1.2 Ma in the mid-Pliocene to early Pleistocene. With regard to the preservation, the coral skeletons display smooth growth surfaces with minor volumes of marine aragonite cement within intra-skeletal porosity. Within the skeletal structures, voids are commonly present along centres of calcification which lack secondary cements. Mean extension rates were 0.44 ± 0.19 cm yr −1 (range 0.16 to 0.86 cm yr −1 ), mean bulk density was 0.96 ± 0.36 g cm −3 (range 0.55 to 1.83 g cm −3 ) and calcification rates ranged from 0.18 to 0.82 g cm −2 yr −1 (mean 0.38 ± 0.16 g cm −2 yr −1 ), values which are 50 % of modern shallow-water reef corals. To understand the possible mechanisms behind these low calcification rates, we compared the fossil calcification rates with those of modern zooxanthellate corals (z corals) from the Western Atlantic (WA) and Indo-Pacific calibrated against sea surface temperature (SST). In the fossil data, we found a widely analogous relationship with SST in z corals from the WA, i.e. density increases and extension rate decreases with increasing SST, but over a significantly larger temperature window during the Plio-Pleistocene. With regard to the environment of coral growth, stable isotope proxy data from the fossil corals and the overall structure of the ancient shallow marine communities are consistent with a well-mixed, open marine environment similar to the present-day Florida Reef Tract, but variably affected by intermittent upwelling. Upwelling along the platform may explain low rates of reef coral calcification and inorganic cementation, but is too localised to account also for low extension rates of Pliocene z corals throughout the tropical WA region. Low aragonite saturation on a more global scale in response to rapid glacialinterglacial CO 2 cyclicity is also a potential factor, but PlioPleistocene atmospheric pCO 2 is generally believed to have been broadly similar to the present day. Heat stress related to globally high interglacial SST only episodically moderated by intermittent upwelling affecting the Florida platform seems to be another likely reason for low calcification rates. From these observatio...

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“…The interplay between these three processes governs the formation of either a high density band or a low density band. While it is still unclear exactly when corals secrete their high and low density bands, Highsmith (1979) Previous studies have also suggested that there is a fundamental dependency of coral growth rates on temperature (Marshall & Clode, 2004;Coles, 1978, Jokiel andColes, 1977;Clausen and Roth, 1975 (Elizalde-Rendon et al, 2010, Carricart-Ganivet 2004Davalos-Delhullu et al, 2008). In individual coral colonies calcification rate is generally linked to skeletal growth, so that these two parameters vary synchronously with changes in temperature.…”

Section: Coral Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate controls on coral growth in the Caribbean

Bosshart¹

2013

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Growth characteristics of the reef-building coral Porites astreoides under different environmental conditions in the Western Atlantic

Cited by 34 publications

References 36 publications

Upwellings mitigated Plio-Pleistocene heat stress for reef corals on the Florida platform (USA)

Upwellings mitigated Plio-Pleistocene heat stress for reef corals on the Florida platform (USA)

Low Florida coral calcification rates in the Plio-Pleistocene

Climate controls on coral growth in the Caribbean

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