The growth rate of Acropora cervicornis branch tips maintained in the laboratory was measured before, during, and after exposure to elevated nitrate (5 and 10 µM NO 3 -), phosphate (2 and 4 µM P-PO 4 3 ) and/or pCO 2 (CO 2~7 00 to 800 µatm). The effect of increased pCO 2 was greater than that of nutrient enrichment alone. High concentrations of nitrate or phosphate resulted in significant decreases in growth rate, in both the presence and absence of increased pCO 2 . The effect of nitrate and phosphate enrichment combined was additive or antagonistic relative to nutrient concentration and pCO 2 level. Growth rate recovery was greater after exposure to increased nutrients or CO 2 compared to increased nutrients and CO 2 . If these results accurately predict coral response in the natural environment, it is reasonable to speculate that the survival and reef-building potential of this species will be significantly negatively impacted by continued coastal nutrification and projected pCO 2 increases.KEY WORDS: Acropora cervicornis · Nutrient enrichment · pCO 2 · Growth rate Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher

No abstract

The occurrence and distribution of the coral disease Skeleton Eroding Band (SEB) has been studied at the Jordanian coast in the Gulf of Aqaba, the northernmost extension of the Red Sea. The SEB syndrome is caused by the colonial, heterotrich ciliate Halofolliculina corallasia: an advancing front of these protists destroys polyps, coenosarc, and surface of the coenosteum. In recent years SEB was registered in reefs of Australia, Mauritius, and the Red Sea. Along the Jordanian coast, disease frequency at four study sites was investigated and afflicted coral genera and species were documented. The study sites were MSS (Marine Science Station)-north, MSS-south, the tourist area near the middle of the coast, and the industrial area adjacent to the Saudi Arabian border. Corals and infections were counted inside randomly placed 1 m 2 frames in reef flats and in 5, 10, and 15 m depths. In order of increasing affectedness of sample sites, MSS-south was the healthiest (12%, 4%, 4%, 16% of infected corals from shallow to deep), followed by MSS-north (19%, 28%, 24%, 24%), the tourist area (51%, 23%, 16%, 41%), and the industrial area (14%, 30%, 39%, 31%). By far the most frequently encountered coral species were Acropora spp. and Stylophora sp., while relative infection-rates were highest among Seriatopora sp. (75%), as well as Stylophora sp., Hydnophora sp., and Galaxea sp. (50% each). This was followed in steadily decreasing order from 44% to 5% by Pocillopora, Mycedium,

Previous research evaluating hydrocarbon toxicity to corals and coral reefs has generally focused on community-level effects, and results often are not comparable between studies because of variability in hydrocarbon exposure characterization and evaluation of coral health and mortality during exposure. Toxicity of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon 1-methylnaphthalene to the coral Porites divaricata was assessed in a constant exposure toxicity test utilizing a novel toxicity testing protocol uniquely applicable to shallow-water corals, which considered multiple assessment metrics and evaluated the potential for post-exposure mortality and/or recovery. Acute and subacute effects (gross morphological changes, photosynthetic efficiency, mortality, and histologic cellular changes) were evaluated during pre-exposure (4 wk), exposure (48 h), and post-exposure recovery (4 wk) periods. Coral condition scores were used to determine a 48-h median effective concentration of 7442 μg/L. Significant physical and histological changes resulted from exposure to 640 μg/L and 5427 μg/L 1-methylnaphthalene, with a 1-d to 3-d delay in photosynthetic efficiency effects (ΔF/Fm). Pigmented granular amoebocyte area was found to be a potentially useful sublethal endpoint for this species. Coral mortality was used to estimate a 48-h median lethal concentration of 12 123 μg/L. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:212-219. © 2016 SETAC.

The Chemical Response to Oil Spill: Ecological Effects Research Forum's water accommodated fraction procedure was compared with 2 alternative techniques in which crude oil was passively dosed from silicone tubing or O-rings. Fresh Macondo oil (MC252) was dosed at 30 mg/L using each approach to investigate oil dissolution kinetics, which was monitored by fluorometry as estimated oil equivalents (EOEs). Subsequent experiments with each dosing method were then conducted at multiple oil loadings. Following equilibration, test media were analytically characterized for polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry and dissolved oil using biomimetic solid-phase microextraction (SPME). The results showed that equilibrium was achieved within 72 h for all methods. Measured PAH concentrations were compared with oil solubility model predictions of dissolved exposures. The concentration and composition of measured and predicted dissolved PAHs varied with oil loading and were consistent between dosing methods. Two-dimensional GC compositional data for this oil were then used to calculate dissolved toxic units for predicting MC252 oil acute toxicity across the expected range of species sensitivities. Predicted toxic units were nonlinear with loading and correlated to both EOE and biomimetic SPME. Passive dosing methods provide a practical strategy to deliver and maintain dissolved oil concentrations while avoiding the complicating role that droplets can introduce in exposure characterization and test interpretation. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:2810-2819. © 2018 SETAC.