A corrosive concoction: The combined effects of ocean warming and acidification on the early growth of a stony coral are multiplicative

The Impact of Ocean Acidification on Reproduction, Early Development and Settlement of Marine Organisms

“…Survival of planular larvae of the intertidal A. digitifera was not affected at pH 7.6 or 7.3, whereas survival of the subtidal western Pacific Acropora tenuis was greater at pH 7.3 than at 7.6 [98]. In contrast, the survival and settlement of planular larvae of the intertidal tropical eastern Pacific coral Porites panamensis was unaffected at pH 7.85 and similarly unaffected by the synergistic effect of elevated CO 2 and temperature [99]. This difference in survival response to acidification between even closely related species (A. digitifera and A. tenuis) from different tidal zones warrants further investigation to establish whether species of intertidal origin are more robust to fluctuations in pH due to inherent variability in their environment, and whether a difference in tidal origin can explain differences in species responses for other invertebrates such as echinoderms [47].…”

Effects of diurnally oscillatingpCO2on the calcification and survival of coral recruits

“…Furthermore, stimulatory effects on calcification of pCO 2 as high as 845 matm have not been observed in coral recruits, and instead the calcification of coral recruits (less than 50 days old and based on seven species) has been reported to decrease up to 84 per cent when exposed to pCO 2 ranging from 560 to 3585 matm [12]. Recruits of Porites astreoides, Favia fragum and P. panamensis departed somewhat from this trend, with calcification in P. astreoides and F. fragum remaining constant until pCO 2 was greater than approximately 800-850 matm (calculated from de Putron et al [18]), and calcification in P. panamensis declining only 3 per cent at a pCO 2 of 926 matm [34]. It is important to note that corallite size determined from planar area or skeletal mass (as used in the present study and several others [16,18,34]) do not reflect the presence of biomass, which exerts a strong biological control on the process of mineralization [37] that can be altered to beneficial effect under OA conditions [36].…”

“…While studies of the effects of OA on coral calcification are beginning to be published in large numbers, little has been done to determine the effects on fitness traits such as survivorship, fecundity and fertilization. There is evidence, however, that fertilization success in broadcast spawning corals declines with increased pCO 2 , especially at low-sperm concentrations [38], although survival of coral recruits has been found unresponsive to high pCO 2 [34]. In the present study, there were striking differences in the survival of S. caliendrum recruits, with the highest 6-day survivorship (85%) occurring in conditions which most closely mimic those on shallow reefs (diurnally oscillating pCO 2 on a natural phase).…”

Population dynamics of Siderastrea stellata Verrill, 1868 from Rocas Atoll, RN: implications for predicted climate change impacts at the only South Atlantic atoll

“…De'ath et al (2009) show that linear extension rates in corals decrease as a result of SST increase. Anlauf et al (2011) points out that in future scenarios of increased temperature and oceanic acidification, coral planulae will be able to disperse and settle successfully, but primary polyp growth may be hampered. According to Albright (2011), available information indicates that ocean acidification (enhanced by warming) may negatively affect sperm motility and fertilization success, larval metabolism, larval settlement, and post settlement growth and calcification.…”