Physiological and ecological performance differs in four coral taxa at a volcanic carbon dioxide seep

Strahl, Julia; Stolz, I.; Uthicke, Sven; Vogel, Nina; Noonan, Sam H. C.; Fabricius, Katharina

doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2015.02.018

Cited by 70 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…We are only starting to understand the long-term impacts of ocean acidification on tissue growth, phototrophy, respiration, heterotrophy, and their energetic interdependencies, in selected species of coral. Many but not all coral species increase their rates of photosynthesis at higher p CO 2 levels53. Reduced heterotrophy may also impact coral lipid content and fatty acid composition, since they are co-determined by zooplankton consumption54.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduced heterotrophy in the stony coral Galaxea fascicularis after life-long exposure to elevated carbon dioxide

Smith

Strahl

Noonan

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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Ocean acidification imposes many physiological, energetic, structural and ecological challenges to stony corals. While some corals may increase autotrophy under ocean acidification, another potential mechanism to alleviate some of the adverse effects on their physiology is to increase heterotrophy. We compared the feeding rates of Galaxea fascicularis colonies that have lived their entire lives under ocean acidification conditions at natural carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) seeps with colonies living under present-day CO 2 conditions. When provided with the same quantity and composition of zooplankton as food, corals acclimatized to high CO 2 showed 2.8 to 4.8 times depressed rates of zooplankton feeding. Results were consistent over four experiments, from two expeditions and both in field and chamber measurements. Unless replenished by other sources, reduced zooplankton uptake in G. fascicularis acclimatized to ocean acidification is likely to entail a shortage of vital nutrients, potentially jeopardizing their health and survival in future oceans.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduced heterotrophy in the stony coral Galaxea fascicularis after life-long exposure to elevated carbon dioxide

Smith

Strahl

Noonan

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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“…There do appear to be defined physiological limits under which calcification can occur (McCulloch et al, 2012;Wall et al, 2016), and physiological plasticity appears important in supporting calcification at high pCO 2. For example, increased rates of calcification (Rodolfo-Metalpa et al, 2011), or the utilization of elevated external dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) can fuel photosynthesis (Inoue et al, 2013;Strahl et al, 2015a) and offset the higher energetic cost of calcification under acidification. For soft corals (Inoue et al, 2013), sea anemones (Suggett et al, 2012a), and scleractinian corals (Strahl et al, 2015a), success at high pCO 2 seems to be driven by their capacity to enhance, or at least sustain, photosynthesis under elevated pCO 2 .…”

Section: Co 2 Ventsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, increased rates of calcification (Rodolfo-Metalpa et al, 2011), or the utilization of elevated external dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) can fuel photosynthesis (Inoue et al, 2013;Strahl et al, 2015a) and offset the higher energetic cost of calcification under acidification. For soft corals (Inoue et al, 2013), sea anemones (Suggett et al, 2012a), and scleractinian corals (Strahl et al, 2015a), success at high pCO 2 seems to be driven by their capacity to enhance, or at least sustain, photosynthesis under elevated pCO 2 . Other physiological processes such as higher cell protective capacities, total lipid content, tissue biomass (Strahl et al, 2015b) and changes in fatty acid metabolism (Kenkel et al, 2017) may also promote resistance to environmental stress at low pH.…”

Section: Co 2 Ventsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, corals across high temperature, low pH, and multistressor sites were able to maintain high calcification rates (e.g., Dandan et al, 2015;Wall et al, 2016), enabled via mechanisms such as unimpaired pH-homeostasis at the site of calcification (Wall et al, 2016) or increased photosynthesis rates to supply the required energy demand (Strahl et al, 2015a). Although this is sometimes associated with trade-offs such as lower skeletal density and increased bioerosion Crook et al, 2013), other corals are able to do so without indication of compromised energy budgets (Strahl et al, 2015a). Similarly, corals in mangrove habitats appear to enhance respiration rates indicative of increased heterotrophy, to facilitate survival in this challenging habitat (Camp et al, 2017).…”

Section: Mechanisms That Support Corals Surviving In Extremesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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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“…Reef areas exposed to clean CO 2 from underground seepage provide windows to the future of coral reefs under ocean acidification. Those studies report a suite of adverse effects including substantial loss of species (16), loss of ecological functions (28), and physiological impairment of invertebrates (29) and fish (30). Conservative model predictions building on observations and experimental research indicate that if carbon emissions continue to follow a business-as-usual path, tropical coral reef environments are likely to shift toward conditions that are marginal for reef growth during this century (3,31,32).…”

Section: The Ocean Environment Is Changingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coral Reefs Under Climate Change and Ocean Acidification: Challenges and Opportunities for Management and Policy

Anthony

2016

Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour.

105

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Carbon emissions in an industrialized world have created two problems for coral reefs: climate change and ocean acidification. Climate change drives ocean warming, which impacts biological and ecological reef processes, triggers large-scale coral bleaching events, and fuels tropical storms. Ocean acidification slows reef growth, alters competitive interactions, and impairs population replenishment. For managers and policymakers, ocean warming and acidification represent an almost paradoxical challenge by eroding reef resilience and simultaneously increasing the demand for reef resilience. Here, I address this problem in the context of challenges and potential solutions. Management efforts can compensate for reduced coral reef resilience in the face of global change, but to a limited extent and over a limited time frame. Critically, a realistic perspective on what sustainability measures can be achieved for coral reefs in the face of ocean warming and acidification is important to avoid setting unachievable goals for regional and local-scale management programs.

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Physiological and ecological performance differs in four coral taxa at a volcanic carbon dioxide seep

Cited by 70 publications

References 47 publications

Reduced heterotrophy in the stony coral Galaxea fascicularis after life-long exposure to elevated carbon dioxide

Reduced heterotrophy in the stony coral Galaxea fascicularis after life-long exposure to elevated carbon dioxide

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

Coral Reefs Under Climate Change and Ocean Acidification: Challenges and Opportunities for Management and Policy

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