Occurrence of a cold-water coral along natural pH gradients (Patagonia, Chile)

Effects of elevated pCO2 and feeding on net calcification and energy budget of the Mediterranean cold-water coral Madrepora oculata

“…A similar resistance to ocean acidification has also been reported for other cold-water scleractinian species (Form and Riebesell, 2012;Jantzen et al, 2013;Lunden et al, 2013;Maier et al, 2013aMaier et al, , 2012McCulloch et al, 2012;Movilla et al, 2014;Thresher et al, 2011;Hennige et al, 2015;Gori et al, 2016 preprint), while only a few reports are available where CWC were impacted by increased pCO 2 (Form and Riebesell, 2012;Hennige et al, 2014;Maier et al, 2009). This is, however, the first experimental study, where a threshold level with respect to pCO 2 or Ω a was reached and skeletal dissolution occurred.…”

“…3). So far, experiments have shown that CWCs can maintain calcification constant over a large pCO 2 gradient (Form and Riebesell, 2012;Hennige et al, 2014;Maier et al, 2013bMaier et al, , 2012Movilla et al, 2014) and maintain positive skeletal growth even at conditions under-saturated with respect to Ω a (Form and Riebesell, 2012;Jantzen et al, 2013;Maier et al, 2009;Rodolfo-Metalpa et al, 2015;Thresher et al, 2011). Despite the two thresholds determined for the two feeding regimes, the present study revealed no significant difference in calcification with respect to feeding except at the first ambient pCO 2 , which forced the two regression functions to higher and lower Ω a threshold values.…”

“…Despite the two thresholds determined for the two feeding regimes, the present study revealed no significant difference in calcification with respect to feeding except at the first ambient pCO 2 , which forced the two regression functions to higher and lower Ω a threshold values. Still, the given range in thresholds between an Ω a of 0.8 and 1.1 reflect those observed in situ with respect to the distributional limitation of CWCs (Jantzen et al, 2013;Lunden et al, 2013;Thresher et al, 2011). This indicates that the projected decline in ocean pH might be less detrimental than initially thought (Guinotte et al, 2006;Turley et al, 2007), although slowing down of net calcification has been reported under various conditions (Form and Riebesell, 2012;Maier et al, 2009Maier et al, , 2012Movilla et al, 2014).…”

“…Because of the dependence on a few species and their relatively slow growth, it had initially been postulated that CWC ecosystems would be even more sensitive to ocean acidification than tropical reefs and that the shoaling of the ASH will thus be a major threat to deep-sea CWCs in the near future (Turley et al, 2007). However, a number of studies have since revealed that CWCs can maintain constant skeletal growth over a large CO 2 partial pressure ( pCO 2 ) range, with levels as high as 1000 µatm (Carreiro-Silva et al, 2014;Hennige et al, 2014;Maier et al, 2013b;Movilla et al, 2014), and still maintain positive skeletal growth at a saturation state for aragonite (Ω a ) slightly below 1 (Form and Riebesell, 2012;Hennige et al, 2015;Jantzen et al, 2013;Maier et al, 2009;Thresher et al, 2011).…”

Cold-water corals in a changing ocean

“…The substantial structures produced by coral carbonate mounds are formed by sequences of interglacial coral reef framework overlain with glacial deposits (Figure 1). In other regions, coldwater coral research is growing rapidly with examples including studies of the solitary scleractinian Desmophyllum dianthus in Chilean fjords [7] and of colonial scleractinians in Mediterranean canyons [8].…”