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Fähse M, Orejas C, Titschack J, Försterra G, Richter C, Laudien J. Ecophysiological and behavioural response of juveniles of the Chilean cold-water coral Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) huinayensis to increasing sediment loads. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21538. [PMID: 38057359 PMCID: PMC10700329 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47116-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chilean Patagonia is a hotspot of biodiversity, harbouring cold-water corals (CWCs) that populate steep walls and overhangs of fjords and channels. Through anthropogenic activities such as deforestation, roadworks, aquafarming and increased landslide frequency, sediment input increases in the fjord region. While the absence of CWCs on moderately steep slopes has been suggested to reflect high vulnerability to sedimentation, experimental evidence has been lacking. Here, we investigated the sensitivity of CWCs to sediment stress, using juvenile Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) huinayensis as a model. A 12-week aquarium experiment was conducted with three sediment loads: the average natural sediment concentration in Comau Fjord, 100- and 1000-fold higher sediment levels, expected from gravel road use and coastal erosion. Changes in coral mass and calyx dimensions, polyp expansion, tissue retraction and respiration were measured. For CWCs exposed to two and three order of magnitude higher sediment concentrations, 32% and 80% of the animals experienced a decrease in tissue cover, respectively, along with a decrease in respiration rate of 34% and 66%. Under the highest concentration corals showed reduced polyp expansion and a significantly reduced growth of ~ 95% compared to corals at natural concentration. The results show that C. huinayensis is affected by high sediment loads. As human activities that increase sedimentation steadily intensify, coastal planners need to consider detrimental effects on CWCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Fähse
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27515, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Covadonga Orejas
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27515, Bremerhaven, Germany
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Gijón (IEO, CSIC), Avenida Príncipe de Asturias 70 Bis, 33212, Gijón, Spain
- Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg - Institute for Advanced Study (HWK), Lehmkuhlenbusch 4, 27753, Delmenhorst, Germany
| | - Jürgen Titschack
- MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Leobener Str. 8, 28359, Bremen, Germany
- Senckenberg Am Meer, Marine Research Department, Südstrand 40, 26382, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Günter Försterra
- Huinay Scientific Field Station, Casilla 462, Puerto Montt, Chile
- Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Escuela de Ciencias del Mar, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Claudio Richter
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27515, Bremerhaven, Germany
- Universität Bremen, Bibliothekstraße 1, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Laudien
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27515, Bremerhaven, Germany.
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2
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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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3
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Garcia-Herrera N, Cornils A, Laudien J, Niehoff B, Höfer J, Försterra G, González HE, Richter C. Seasonal and diel variations in the vertical distribution, composition, abundance and biomass of zooplankton in a deep Chilean Patagonian Fjord. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12823. [PMID: 35127292 PMCID: PMC8796712 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Comau Fjord is a stratified Chilean Patagonian Fjord characterized by a shallow brackish surface layer and a >400 m layer of aragonite-depleted subsurface waters. Despite the energetic burden of low aragonite saturation levels to calcification, Comau Fjord harbours dense populations of cold-water corals (CWC). While this paradox has been attributed to a rich supply of zooplankton, supporting abundance and biomass data are so far lacking. In this study, we investigated the seasonal and diel changes of the zooplankton community over the entire water column. We used a Nansen net (100 µm mesh) to take stratified vertical hauls between the surface and the bottom (0-50-100-200-300-400-450 m). Samples were scanned with a ZooScan, and abundance, biovolume and biomass were determined for 41 taxa identified on the web-based platform EcoTaxa 2.0. Zooplankton biomass was the highest in summer (209 g dry mass m-2) and the lowest in winter (61 g dry mass m-2). Abundance, however, peaked in spring, suggesting a close correspondence between reproduction and phytoplankton spring blooms (Chl a max. 50.86 mg m-3, 3 m depth). Overall, copepods were the most important group of the total zooplankton community, both in abundance (64-81%) and biovolume (20-70%) followed by mysids and chaetognaths (in terms of biovolume and biomass), and nauplii and Appendicularia (in terms of abundance). Throughout the year, diel changes in the vertical distribution of biomass were found with a daytime maximum in the 100-200 m depth layer and a nighttime maximum in surface waters (0-50 m), associated with the diel vertical migration of the calanoid copepod family Metridinidae. Diel differences in integrated zooplankton abundance, biovolume and biomass were probably due to a high zooplankton patchiness driven by biological processes (e.g., diel vertical migration or predation avoidance), and oceanographic processes (estuarine circulation, tidal mixing or water column stratification). Those factors are considered to be the main drivers of the zooplankton vertical distribution in Comau Fjord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur Garcia-Herrera
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany,University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Astrid Cornils
- 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
| | - Barbara Niehoff
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Juan Höfer
- Escuela de Ciencias del Mar, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile,Research Center: Dynamics of High Latitude Marine Ecosystems (IDEAL), Punta Arenas, Chile,Fundación San Ignacio de Huinay, Huinay, Chile
| | - Günter Försterra
- Escuela de Ciencias del Mar, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Humberto E. González
- Research Center: Dynamics of High Latitude Marine Ecosystems (IDEAL), Punta Arenas, Chile,Institute of Marine and Limnological Sciences, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Claudio Richter
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany,University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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4
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Ivanina AV, Jarrett A, Bell T, Rimkevicius T, Beniash E, Sokolova IM. Effects of seawater salinity and pH on cellular metabolism and enzyme activities in biomineralizing tissues of marine bivalves. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2020; 248:110748. [PMID: 32590052 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2020.110748] [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: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Molluscan shell formation is a complex energy demanding process sensitive to the shifts in seawater CaCO3 saturation due to changes in salinity and pH. We studied the effects of salinity and pH on energy demand and enzyme activities of biomineralizing cells of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) and the hard-shell clam (Mercenaria mercenaria). Adult animals were exposed for 14 days to high (30), intermediate (18), or low (10) salinity at either high (8.0-8.2) or low (7.8) pH. Basal metabolic cost as well as the energy cost of the biomineralization-related cellular processes were determined in isolated mantle edge cells and hemocytes. The total metabolic rates were similar in the hemocytes of the two studied species, but considerably higher in the mantle cells of C. gigas compared with those of M. mercenaria. Cellular respiration was unaffected by salinity in the clams' cells, while in oysters' cells the highest respiration rate was observed at intermediate salinity (18). In both studied species, low pH suppressed cellular respiration. Low pH led to an upregulation of Na+/K+ ATPase activity in biomineralizing cells of oysters and clams. Activities of Ca2+ ATPase and H+ ATPase, as well as the cellular energy costs of Ca2+ and H+ transport in the biomineralizing cells were insensitive to the variation in salinity and pH in the two studied species. Variability in cellular response to low salinity and pH indicates that the disturbance of shell formation under these conditions has different underlying mechanisms in the two studied species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna V Ivanina
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA; Levine Cancer Institute, Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - Abigail Jarrett
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA; Department of Marine Biology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Tiffany Bell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - Tadas Rimkevicius
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - Elia Beniash
- Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburg, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Inna M Sokolova
- Department of Marine Biology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany; Department of Maritime Systems, Interdisciplinary Faculty, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
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5
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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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6
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Martínez-Dios A, Pelejero C, López-Sanz À, Sherrell RM, Ko S, Häussermann V, Försterra G, Calvo E. Effects of low pH and feeding on calcification rates of the cold-water coral Desmophyllum dianthus. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8236. [PMID: 31915573 PMCID: PMC6942680 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cold-Water Corals (CWCs), and most marine calcifiers, are especially threatened by ocean acidification (OA) and the decrease in the carbonate saturation state of seawater. The vulnerability of these organisms, however, also involves other global stressors like warming, deoxygenation or changes in sea surface productivity and, hence, food supply via the downward transport of organic matter to the deep ocean. This study examined the response of the CWC Desmophyllum dianthus to low pH under different feeding regimes through a long-term incubation experiment. For this experiment, 152 polyps were incubated at pH 8.1, 7.8, 7.5 and 7.2 and two feeding regimes for 14 months. Mean calcification rates over the entire duration of the experiment ranged between −0.3 and 0.3 mg CaCO3 g−1d−1. Polyps incubated at pH 7.2 were the most affected and 30% mortality was observed in this treatment. In addition, many of the surviving polyps at pH 7.2 showed negative calcification rates indicating that, in the long term, CWCs may have difficulty thriving in such aragonite undersaturated waters. The feeding regime had a significant effect on skeletal growth of corals, with high feeding frequency resulting in more positive and variable calcification rates. This was especially evident in corals reared at pH 7.5 (ΩA = 0.8) compared to the low frequency feeding treatment. Early life-stages, which are essential for the recruitment and maintenance of coral communities and their associated biodiversity, were revealed to be at highest risk. Overall, this study demonstrates the vulnerability of D. dianthus corals to low pH and low food availability. Future projected pH decreases and related changes in zooplankton communities may potentially compromise the viability of CWC populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carles Pelejero
- Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC, Barcelona, Catalonia, Espanya.,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Catalonia, Espanya
| | - Àngel López-Sanz
- Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC, Barcelona, Catalonia, Espanya
| | - Robert M Sherrell
- Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.,Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Stanley Ko
- Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Verena Häussermann
- Escuela de Ciencias del Mar/Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.,Huinay Scientific Field Station, Huinay, Chile
| | - Günter Försterra
- Escuela de Ciencias del Mar/Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.,Huinay Scientific Field Station, Huinay, Chile
| | - Eva Calvo
- Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC, Barcelona, Catalonia, Espanya
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7
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Ross CL, DeCarlo TM, McCulloch MT. Environmental and physiochemical controls on coral calcification along a latitudinal temperature gradient in Western Australia. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:431-447. [PMID: 30456772 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2018] [Revised: 08/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The processes that occur at the micro-scale site of calcification are fundamental to understanding the response of coral growth in a changing world. However, our mechanistic understanding of chemical processes driving calcification is still evolving. Here, we report the results of a long-term in situ study of coral calcification rates, photo-physiology, and calcifying fluid (cf) carbonate chemistry (using boron isotopes, elemental systematics, and Raman spectroscopy) for seven species (four genera) of symbiotic corals growing in their natural environments at tropical, subtropical, and temperate locations in Western Australia (latitudinal range of ~11°). We find that changes in net coral calcification rates are primarily driven by pHcf and carbonate ion concentration [ CO 3 2 - ]cf in conjunction with temperature and DICcf . Coral pHcf varies with latitudinal and seasonal changes in temperature and works together with the seasonally varying DICcf to optimize [ CO 3 2 - ]cf at species-dependent levels. Our results indicate that corals shift their pHcf to adapt and/or acclimatize to their localized thermal regimes. This biological response is likely to have critical implications for predicting the future of coral reefs under CO2 -driven warming and acidification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire L Ross
- School of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Thomas M DeCarlo
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- Oceans Graduate School, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Malcolm T McCulloch
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- Oceans Graduate School, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
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8
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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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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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10
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Increased food supply mitigates ocean acidification effects on calcification but exacerbates effects on growth. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9800. [PMID: 29955096 PMCID: PMC6023940 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28012-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2016] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Because many of the negative effects of ocean acidification on marine life may result from underlying energetic short-falls associated with increased metabolic demands, several studies have hypothesized that negative responses to high CO2 could be reduced by energy input. Although this hypothesis was supported by a recent meta-analysis, we believe that the meta-analytic calculation used was not appropriate to test the stated hypothesis. Here, we first clarify the hypothesis put forward, the crux being that the effects of increased food supply and CO2 interact statistically. We then test this hypothesis by examining the available data in a more appropriate analytical framework. Using factorial meta-analysis, we confirm that food addition has a positive effect and CO2 has a negative effect on both growth and calcification. For calcification, food addition did indeed reduce CO2 impacts. Surprisingly, however, we found that food addition actually exacerbated the effects of acidification on growth, perhaps due to increased scope upon which CO2 effects can act in food-replete situations. These interactive effects were undetectable using a multilevel meta-analytic approach. Ongoing changes in food supply and carbonate chemistry, coupled with under-described, poorly understood, and potentially surprising interactive outcomes for these two variables, suggest that the role of food should remain a priority in ocean acidification research. Arising from: L. Ramajo et al., Sci. Rep. 6: 19374 (2016).
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11
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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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Baussant T, Nilsen M, Ravagnan E, Westerlund S, Ramanand S. Physiological responses and lipid storage of the coral Lophelia pertusa at varying food density. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2017; 80:266-284. [PMID: 28569653 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2017.1297274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Despite the importance of the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa to deep-sea reef ecosystem functioning, current knowledge of key physiological responses to available food resources is scarce. Scenarios with varying food density may help to understand how corals deal with seasonal variations in the dark ocean and might be used to study consequences of anthropogenic activities potentially affecting food availability. Thus, the physiological responses of L. pertusa to varying food (Artemia salina nauplii) concentration, ranging from 20% to 300% of carbon equivalent turned over by basal coral respiration, were investigated. A starvation group was also included. Measurements of respiration, growth, mucus production, and energy reserves (storage fatty acids) were performed at several time intervals over 26 weeks. In general, data showed a stronger effect of experimental time on measured responses, but no significant influence of food density treatment. In starved corals, respiration rate declined to 52% of initial respiration, while skeleton growth rate was maintained at the same rate as Artemia-fed corals throughout the investigation. Mucus production measured as the sum of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) was also similar across food treatments, but POC production exceeded that of DOC at the highest food density. No marked effect was observed on storage fatty acids. These results confirm that L. pertusa is highly resilient to environmental conditions with suboptimal food densities over a time scale of months. Regulation of several physiological processes, including respiration and mucus production, possibly in combination with an opportunistic feeding strategy, contributed to this tolerance to maintain viable corals. Thus, it appears that L. pertusa is well adapted to life in the deep sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thierry Baussant
- a Department of Environment , International Research Institute of Stavanger , Randaberg , Norway
| | - Marianne Nilsen
- a Department of Environment , International Research Institute of Stavanger , Randaberg , Norway
- b Department of Research and Development , Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), Campus Sogndal , Sogndal , Norway
| | - Elisa Ravagnan
- a Department of Environment , International Research Institute of Stavanger , Randaberg , Norway
| | - Stig Westerlund
- a Department of Environment , International Research Institute of Stavanger , Randaberg , Norway
| | - Sreerekha Ramanand
- a Department of Environment , International Research Institute of Stavanger , Randaberg , Norway
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