Two threatened Caribbean coral species have contrasting responses to combined temperature and acidification stress

Langdon, C.; Albright, Rebecca; Baker, Andrew C.; Jones, Paul

doi:10.1002/lno.10952

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 51 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…There are exceptions to this negative trend (Reynaud et al, 2003;Castillo et al, 2014;Strahl et al, 2015;Wall et al, 2017) and indications that its intensity can be attenuated by incubation conditions and nutritional status of the coral (Edmunds, 2011;Dufault et al, 2013;Vogel et al, 2015). In at least two cases, temperature and high P CO2 have been found to act in positive synergy to affect coral calcification, but one of these contrasted temperatures within a normal range for tropical reefs (25.0 versus 28°C; Reynaud et al, 2003) and the other contrasted a naturally occurring temperature with a likely future temperature (26 versus 32°C; Langdon et al, 2018). More commonly, however, temperature and P CO2 have been shown to affect coral calcification independently (Horvath et al, 2016;Okazaki et al, 2017;Kroeker et al, 2013;Anderson et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Emergent properties of branching morphologies modulate the sensitivity of coral calcification to highPCO2

Edmunds

Burgess

2020

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Experiments with coral fragments (i.e. nubbins) have shown that net calcification is depressed by elevated P CO2. Evaluating the implications of this finding requires scaling of results from nubbins to colonies, yet the experiments to codify this process have not been carried out. Building from our previous research demonstrating that net calcification of Pocillopora verrucosa (2-13 cm diameter) was unaffected by P CO2 (400 and 1000 µatm) and temperature (26.5 and 29.7°C), we sought generality to this outcome by testing how colony size modulates P CO2 and temperature sensitivity in a branching acroporid. Together, these taxa represent two of the dominant lineages of branching corals on Indo-Pacific coral reefs. Two trials conducted over 2 years tested the hypothesis that the seasonal range in seawater temperature (26.5 and 29.2°C) and a future P CO2 (1062 µatm versus an ambient level of 461 µatm) affect net calcification of an ecologically relevant size range (5-20 cm diameter) of colonies of Acropora hyacinthus. As for P. verrucosa, the effects of temperature and P CO2 on net calcification (mg day −1) of A. verrucosa were not statistically detectable. These results support the generality of a null outcome on net calcification of exposing intact colonies of branching corals to environmental conditions contrasting seasonal variation in temperature and predicted future variation in P CO2. While there is a need to expand beyond an experimental culture relying on coral nubbins as tractable replicates, rigorously responding to this need poses substantial ethical and logistical challenges.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Emergent properties of branching morphologies modulate the sensitivity of coral calcification to highPCO2

Edmunds

Burgess

2020

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Future studies may include examining genetic linkages to stress resistance and symbiont relationships in A . elegantissima , as found in certain coral species [ 67 – 69 ], especially with respect to differential exposure [ 70 ]. Modeling B .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Future studies may include examining genetic linkages to stress resistance and symbiont relationships in A. elegantissima, as found in certain coral species [67][68][69], especially with respect to differential exposure [70]. Modeling B. muscatinei food web contribution in various climate scenarios could predict intertidal productivity changes [71].…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental investigation of tidal and freshwater influence on Symbiodiniaceae abundance in Anthopleura elegantissima

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The San Francisco Bay outflow creates a tidally influenced low-salinity plume that affects adjacent coastal sites. In the study region, Anthopleura elegantissima (Cnidaria; Anthozoa) hosts a single symbiont, the dinoflagellate Breviolum muscatinei . Salinity, temperature, and aerial stress induce a bleaching response similar to corals where symbionts are expelled, causing further energetic stress. Using field observations of environmental conditions and symbiont abundance at sites on a gradient of exposure to estuarine outflow, along with a fully crossed multifactorial lab experiment, we tested for changes in symbiont abundance in response to various combinations of three stressors. Lab experiments were designed to mimic short term outflow events with low salinity, high temperature, and aerial exposure treatments. The lab aerial exposure treatment was a statistically significant factor in suppressing symbiont repopulation (ANOVA, p = .017). In the field, symbiont density decreased with increasing tidal height at the site closest to freshwater outflow (ANOVA, p = .007), suggesting that aerial exposure may affect symbiont density more than sea surface temperature and salinity. Unanticipated documentation of survival in 9 months of sand burial and subsequent repopulation of symbionts is reported as a six-month extension to past observations, exemplifying strong tolerance to environmental insult in this Cnidarian mutualism. The study of this symbiosis is useful in examining predicted changes in ocean conditions in tidepool communities and considering relative sources of stress.

show abstract

“…For example, A. cervicornis corals exposed to 32 °C suffered 100% mortality after one month, while O. faveolata ? D. trenchii survived for more than two months (Langdon et al 2018).…”

Section: A Cervicornis Is Highly Susceptible To Elevated Nutrientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in susceptibility among three Caribbean coral species and their algal symbionts indicates the threatened staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, is particularly susceptible to elevated nutrients and heat stress

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Coral cover is declining worldwide due to multiple interacting threats. We compared the effects of elevated nutrients and temperature on three Caribbean corals: Acropora cervicornis, Orbicella faveolata, and Siderastrea siderea. Colonies hosting different algal symbionts were exposed to either ambient nutrients (A), elevated NH 4 (N), or elevated NH 4 ? PO 4 (N ? P) at control temperatures (26 °C) for [ 2 months, followed by a 3-week thermal challenge (31.5 °C). A. cervicornis hosted Symbiodinium (S. fitti) and was highly susceptible to the combination of elevated nutrients and temperature. During heat stress, A. cervicornis pre-exposed to elevated nutrients experienced 84%-100% mortality and photochemical efficiency (F v / F m ) declines of 41-50%. In comparison, no mortality and lower F v /F m declines (11-20%) occurred in A. cervicornis that were heat-stressed but not pre-exposed to nutrients. O. faveolata and S. siderea response to heat stress was determined by their algal symbiont community and was not affected by nutrients. O. faveolata predominantly hosted Durusdinium trenchii or Breviolum, but only corals hosting Breviolum were susceptible to heat, experiencing 100% mortality, regardless of nutrient treatment. S. siderea colonies predominantly hosted Cladocopium C1 (C. goreaui), Cladocopium C3, D. trenchii, or variable proportions of Cladocopium C1 and D. trenchii. This species was resilient to elevated nutrients and temperature, with no significant mortality in any of the treatments. However, during heat stress, S. siderea hosting Cladocopium C3 suffered higher reductions in F v /F m (41-56%) compared to S. siderea hosting Cladocopium C1 and D. trenchii (17-26% and 10-16%, respectively). These differences in holobiont susceptibility to elevated nutrients and heat may help explain historical declines in A. cervicornis starting decades earlier than other Caribbean corals. Our results suggest that tackling only warming temperatures may be insufficient to ensure the continued persistence of Caribbean corals, especially A. cervicornis. Reducing nutrient inputs to reefs may also be necessary for these iconic coral species to survive.

show abstract

Two threatened Caribbean coral species have contrasting responses to combined temperature and acidification stress

Cited by 17 publications

References 51 publications

Emergent properties of branching morphologies modulate the sensitivity of coral calcification to highPCO2

Emergent properties of branching morphologies modulate the sensitivity of coral calcification to highPCO2

Experimental investigation of tidal and freshwater influence on Symbiodiniaceae abundance in Anthopleura elegantissima

Variation in susceptibility among three Caribbean coral species and their algal symbionts indicates the threatened staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, is particularly susceptible to elevated nutrients and heat stress

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About