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Cai C, Hammerman NM, Pandolfi JM, Duarte CM, Agusti S. Influence of global warming and industrialization on coral reefs: A 600-year record of elemental changes in the Eastern Red Sea. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 914:169984. [PMID: 38218470 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.169984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
The Red Sea has been recognized as a coral reef refugia, but it is vulnerable to warming and pollution. Here we investigated the spatial and temporal trends of 15 element concentrations in 9 coral reef sediment cores (aged from the 1460s to the 1980s AD) to study the influence of global warming and industrialization on the Eastern Red Sea coral reefs. We found Na, Ca, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, and Sr concentrations were higher in the northern Red Sea (i.e., Yanbu), whereas Mg, P, S, Mn, and Cd concentrations were higher in the southern Red Sea (i.e., Thuwal & Al Lith) reef sediments. In the central (i.e., Thuwal) to southern (i.e., Al Lith) Red Sea, the study revealed diverse temporal trends in element concentrations. However, both reef sedimentation rates (-36.4 % and -80.5 %, respectively) and elemental accumulation rates (-49.4 % for Cd to -12.2 % for Zn in Thuwal, and -86.2 % for Co to -61.4 % for Cu in Al Lith) exhibited a declining pattern over time, possibly attributed to warming-induced thermal bleaching. In the central to northern Red Sea (i.e., Yanbu), the severity of thermal bleaching is low, while the reef sedimentation rates (187 %), element concentrations (6.7 % for S to 764 % for Co; except Na, Mg, Ca, Sr, and Cd), and all elemental accumulation rates (190 % for Mg to 2697 % for Co) exponentially increased from the 1970s, probably due the rapid industrialization in Yanbu. Our study also observed increased trace metal concentrations (e.g., Cu, Zn, and Ni) in the Thuwal and Al Lith coral reefs with severe bleaching histories, consistent with previous reports that trace metals might result in decreased resistance of corals to thermal stress under warming scenarios. Our study points to the urgent need to reduce the local discharge of trace metal pollutants to protect this biodiversity hotspot.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunzhi Cai
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Red Sea Research Center, The Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Nicholas Matthew Hammerman
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - John M Pandolfi
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Carlos M Duarte
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Red Sea Research Center, The Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Susana Agusti
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Red Sea Research Center, The Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
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Rivera HE, Cohen AL, Thompson JR, Baums IB, Fox MD, Meyer-Kaiser KS. Palau's warmest reefs harbor thermally tolerant corals that thrive across different habitats. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1394. [PMID: 36543929 PMCID: PMC9772186 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04315-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Ocean warming is killing corals, but heat-tolerant populations exist; if protected, they could replenish affected reefs naturally or through restoration. Palau's Rock Islands experience consistently higher temperatures and extreme heatwaves, yet their diverse coral communities bleach less than those on Palau's cooler outer reefs. Here, we combined genetic analyses, bleaching histories and growth rates of Porites cf. lobata colonies to identify thermally tolerant genotypes, map their distribution, and investigate potential growth trade-offs. We identified four genetic lineages of P. cf. lobata. On Palau's outer reefs, a thermally sensitive lineage dominates. The Rock Islands harbor two lineages with enhanced thermal tolerance; one of which shows no consistent growth trade-off and also occurs on several outer reefs. This suggests that the Rock Islands provide naturally tolerant larvae to neighboring areas. Finding and protecting such sources of thermally-tolerant corals is key to reef survival under 21st century climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanny E. Rivera
- grid.116068.80000 0001 2341 2786MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science & Engineering, Cambridge and Woods Hole, MA USA ,grid.56466.370000 0004 0504 7510Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA USA ,grid.116068.80000 0001 2341 2786Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Anne L. Cohen
- grid.56466.370000 0004 0504 7510Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA USA
| | - Janelle R. Thompson
- grid.116068.80000 0001 2341 2786Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA USA ,grid.59025.3b0000 0001 2224 0361Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), Singapore ,grid.484638.50000 0004 7703 9448Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Iliana B. Baums
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA USA
| | - Michael D. Fox
- grid.56466.370000 0004 0504 7510Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA USA ,grid.45672.320000 0001 1926 5090Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
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Villalobos R, Aylagas E, Pearman JK, Curdia J, Lozano-Cortés D, Coker DJ, Jones B, Berumen ML, Carvalho S. Inter-annual variability patterns of reef cryptobiota in the central Red Sea across a shelf gradient. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16944. [PMID: 36210380 PMCID: PMC9548503 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21304-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The combination of molecular tools, standard surveying techniques, and long-term monitoring programs are relevant to understanding environmental and ecological changes in coral reef communities. Here we studied temporal variability in cryptobenthic coral reef communities across the continental shelf in the central Red Sea spanning 6 years (three sampling periods: 2013-2019) and including the 2015 mass bleaching event. We used a combination of molecular tools (barcoding and metabarcoding) to assess communities on Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) as a standardized sampling approach. Community composition associated with ARMS for both methodologies (barcoding and metabarcoding) was statistically different across reefs (shelf position) and time periods. The partition of beta diversity showed a higher turnover and lower nestedness between pre-bleaching and post-bleaching samples than between the two post-bleaching periods, revealing a community shift from the bleaching event. However, a slight return to the pre-bleaching community composition was observed in 2019 suggesting a recovery trajectory. Given the predictions of decreasing time between bleaching events, it is concerning that cryptobenthic communities may not fully recover and communities with new characteristics will emerge. We observed a high turnover among reefs for all time periods, implying a homogenization of the cryptobiome did not occur across the cross shelf following the 2015 bleaching event. It is possible that dispersal limitations and the distinct environmental and benthic structures present across the shelf maintained the heterogeneity in communities among reefs. This study has to the best of our knowledge presented for the first time a temporal aspect into the analysis of ARMS cryptobenthic coral reef communities and encompasses a bleaching event. We show that these structures can detect cryptic changes associated with reef degradation and provides support for these being used as long-term monitoring tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Villalobos
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - E Aylagas
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- The Red Sea Development Company, 5th Floor, MU04 Tower, ITCC Complex, AlRaidah Digital City, Al Nakhil District 3807, Riyadh, 12382-6726, Saudi Arabia
| | - J K Pearman
- Coastal and Freshwater Group, Cawthron Institute, Nelson, New Zealand
| | - J Curdia
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - D Lozano-Cortés
- Environmental Protection, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
| | - D J Coker
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - B Jones
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - M L Berumen
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - S Carvalho
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
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Banc-Prandi G, Evensen NR, Barshis DJ, Perna G, Moussa Omar Y, Fine M. Assessment of temperature optimum signatures of corals at both latitudinal extremes of the Red Sea. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 10:coac002. [PMID: 35492414 PMCID: PMC9040280 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coac002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Rising ocean temperatures are pushing reef-building corals beyond their temperature optima (Topt ), resulting in reduced physiological performances and increased risk of bleaching. Identifying refugia with thermally resistant corals and understanding their thermal adaptation strategy is therefore urgent to guide conservation actions. The Gulf of Aqaba (GoA, northern Red Sea) is considered a climate refuge, hosting corals that may originate from populations selected for thermal resistance in the warmer waters of the Gulf of Tadjoura (GoT, entrance to the Red Sea and 2000 km south of the GoA). To better understand the thermal adaptation strategy of GoA corals, we compared the temperature optima (Topt ) of six common reef-building coral species from the GoA and the GoT by measuring oxygen production and consumption rates as well as photophysiological performance (i.e. chlorophyll fluorescence) in response to a short heat stress. Most species displayed similar Topt between the two locations, highlighting an exceptional continuity in their respective physiological performances across such a large latitudinal range, supporting the GoA refuge theory. Stylophora pistillata showed a significantly lower Topt in the GoA, which may suggest an ongoing population-level selection (i.e. adaptation) to the cooler waters of the GoA and subsequent loss of thermal resistance. Interestingly, all Topt were significantly above the local maximum monthly mean seawater temperatures in the GoA (27.1°C) and close or below in the GoT (30.9°C), indicating that GoA corals, unlike those in the GoT, may survive ocean warming in the next few decades. Finally, Acropora muricata and Porites lobata displayed higher photophysiological performance than most species, which may translate to dominance in local reef communities under future thermal scenarios. Overall, this study is the first to compare the Topt of common reef-building coral species over such a latitudinal range and provides insights into their thermal adaptation in the Red Sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilhem Banc-Prandi
- Corresponding author: The Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel. Tel: +33 7 86 94 72 76.
| | - Nicolas R Evensen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA
| | - Daniel J Barshis
- Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA
| | - Gabriela Perna
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Youssouf Moussa Omar
- Center for Studies and Scientific Research of Djibouti, Route de l’Aéroport, BP 1000, Djibouti
| | - Maoz Fine
- The Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
- The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, Eilat, 88103, Israel
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