Calcification rates and the effect of ocean acidification on Mediterranean cold-water corals

Maier, Cornelia; Watremez, Pierre; Taviani, Marco; Weinbauer, Markus G.; Gattuso, Jean‐Pierre

doi:10.1098/rspb.2011.1763

Cited by 100 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…These growth rates are comparable to those previously measured on the same CWC species using different techniques [19][20][21][22]. However, the average growth rate of L. pertusa observed in the experiment of Form and Riebesell [13] was about one order of magnitude lower than in previous works, probably due to the lower incubation temperature used by these authors (7.5 °C) compared to other studies (between 10 and 13 °C).…”

Section: Measured Parameterssupporting

confidence: 86%

“…For instance, the first short-term studies based on short incubations (between 24 h and 1 week-long) conducted on specimens of Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata, found a reduction in the calcification rate ranging from 30% to 56% when the pH was dropped between 0.1 and 0.3 units [13,19,20]. On the contrary, in the most recent short-term (between 24 h and 21 days) and in the two medium-term experiments (between 6 months and 9 months) conducted to date with the same species, no effects were observed when rearing corals at pH values similar to those expected by the end of the century [13,[20][21][22]. Thus, despite the different results observed in the first short-term experiments, the outcomes so far from medium-term experiments evidence that some CWC species could be well adapted to possible changes in the chemical conditions of seawater.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Resistance of Two Mediterranean Cold-Water Coral Species to Low-pH Conditions

Movilla

Gori

Calvo

et al. 2013

Water

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Deep-water ecosystems are characterized by relatively low carbonate concentration values and, due to ocean acidification (OA), these habitats might be among the first to be exposed to undersaturated conditions in the forthcoming years. However, until now, very few studies have been conducted to test how cold-water coral (CWC) species react to such changes in the seawater chemistry. The present work aims to investigate the mid-term effect of decreased pH on calcification of the two branching CWC species most widely distributed in the Mediterranean, Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata. No significant effects were observed in the skeletal growth rate, microdensity and porosity of both species after 6 months of exposure. However, while the calcification rate of M. oculata was similar for all colony fragments, a heterogeneous skeletal growth pattern was observed in L. pertusa, the younger nubbins showing higher growth rates than the older ones. A higher energy demand is expected in these young, fast-growing fragments and, therefore, a reduction in calcification might be noticed earlier during long-term exposure to acidified conditions. OPEN ACCESSWater 2014, 6 60

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Section: Measured Parameterssupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resistance of Two Mediterranean Cold-Water Coral Species to Low-pH Conditions

Movilla

Gori

Calvo

et al. 2013

Water

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“…However, calcein labelling requires observations of slides by microscopy, in contrast by alizarin red which can be visually identified on the skeleton. Surprisingly, staining of freshly collected corals did not give the desired results, contradicts previous on-board observations made on CWC calcification rates by Maier et al (2012). Stressful conditions with direct exposition to calcein are suspected as samples marked after 12 hours acclimation displayed particularly elevated success (Table 1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

A new approach for assessing cold-water coral growthin situusing fluorescent calcein staining

Lartaud

Pareige

Rafélis

et al. 2012

Aquat. Living Resour.

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-Research on the biology and ecology of cold-water corals (CWCs) is still in its infancy. The growth patterns of CWCs in their natural environments are poorly known. Growth rate investigations on these deep-sea reef builder species are needed to predict recovery times following damage to their ecosystems. This study investigates a new approach for analysing CWC growth rate, suitable for in situ application. Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata (Scleractinian) were collected from the Lacaze-Duthiers canyon in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea (520 m depth), marked and then either redeployed in situ for 6 months, or maintained in aquaria for growth rate comparison at a constant temperature of 13• C, corresponding to their habitat conditions. Two different types of staining (calcein and manganese) and three different exposure times (30, 60 and 240 min) were tested. The results show that calcein offers rapid incorporation and easy detection, making it particularly suitable for skeletal growth rate investigations compared with other chemical staining. In situ linear polyp growth rates of 7.5 ± 1.2 mm y −1 and 3.5 ± 2.1 mm y −1 were measured in new polyps of L. pertusa and M. oculata, respectively. Those values were significantly higher in young polyps than in older ones, where they decreased to 1.3 ± 1.5 mm y −1 and 1.2 ± 1.2 mm y −1 . Beyond the study of coral reef growth processes, this approach offers a methodological basis for habitat quality assessment which could be used in the management of deep-sea marine protected areas (MPA).

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“…Despite these inconsistencies, there is evidence for declines in calcification as pH decreases (Maier et al, 2009;Form and Riebesell, 2012). For example, a study using the reef-building cold-water coral Madrepora occulata, found that calcification rates are 50% slower than in pre-industrial times, and suggesting that ocean acidification has already impaired cold-water coral calcification (Maier et al, 2012). Moreover, Maier et al (2009) found that lowering pH by 0.15 to 0.3 units (from an initial value of pH 8.1) according to future scenarios of ocean acidification resulted in a decrease in L. pertusa's gross calcification by 30 and 56% respectively.…”

Section: Short-term Calcification Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

Intra-Specific Variation Reveals Potential for Adaptation to Ocean Acidification in a Cold-Water Coral from the Gulf of Mexico

et al. 2017

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Ocean acidification, the decrease in seawater pH due to the absorption of atmospheric CO 2 , profoundly threatens the survival of a large number of marine species. Cold-water corals are considered to be among the most vulnerable organisms to ocean acidification because they are already exposed to relatively low pH and corresponding low calcium carbonate saturation states ( ). Lophelia pertusa is a globally distributed cold-water scleractinian coral that provides critical three-dimensional habitat for many ecologically and economically significant species. In this study, four different genotypes of L. pertusa were exposed to three pH treatments (pH = 7.60, 7.75, and 7.90) over a short (2-week) experimental period, and six genotypes were exposed to two pH treatments (pH = 7.60 and 7.90) over a long (6-month) experimental period. Their physiological response was measured as net calcification rate and the activity of carbonic anhydrase, a key enzyme in the calcification pathway. In the short-term experiment, net calcification rates did not significantly change with pH, although they were highly variable in the low pH treatment, including some genotypes that maintained positive net calcification in undersaturated conditions. In the 6-month experiment, average net calcification was significantly reduced at low pH, with corals exhibiting net dissolution of skeleton. However, one of the same genotypes that maintained positive net calcification (+0.04% day −1 ) under the low pH treatment in the short-term experiment also maintained positive net calcification longer than the other genotypes in the long-term experiment, although none of the corals maintained positive calcification for the entire 6 months. Average carbonic anhydrase activity was not affected by pH, although some genotypes exhibited small, insignificant, increases in activity after the sixth month. Our results suggest that while net calcification in L. pertusa is adversely affected by ocean acidification in the long term, it is possible that some genotypes may prove to be more resilient than others, particularly to short perturbations of the carbonate system. These results provide evidence that populations of L. pertusa in the Gulf of Mexico may contain the genetic variability necessary to support an adaptive response to future ocean acidification.

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Calcification rates and the effect of ocean acidification on Mediterranean cold-water corals

Cited by 100 publications

References 46 publications

Resistance of Two Mediterranean Cold-Water Coral Species to Low-pH Conditions

Resistance of Two Mediterranean Cold-Water Coral Species to Low-pH Conditions

A new approach for assessing cold-water coral growthin situusing fluorescent calcein staining

Intra-Specific Variation Reveals Potential for Adaptation to Ocean Acidification in a Cold-Water Coral from the Gulf of Mexico

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