Publication Date:
2024-03-19
Description:
Ocean acidification causes corals to calcify at reduced rates, but current understanding of the underlying processes is limited. Here, we conduct a mechanistic study into how seawater acidification alters skeletal growth of the coral Stylophora pistillata. Reductions in colony calcification rates are manifested as increases in skeletal porosity at lower pH, while linear extension of skeletons remains unchanged. Inspection of the microstructure of skeletons and measurements of pH at the site of calcification indicate that dissolution is not responsible for changes in skeletal porosity. Instead, changes occur by enlargement of corallite-calyxes and thinning of associated skeletal elements, constituting a modification in skeleton architecture. We also detect increases in the organic matrix protein content of skeletons formed under lower pH. Overall, our study reveals that seawater acidification not only causes decreases in calcification, but can also cause morphological change of the coral skeleton to a more porous and potentially fragile phenotype.
Keywords:
Acid-base regulation; Alkalinity, total; Alkalinity, total, standard deviation; Animalia; Aragonite saturation state; Aragonite saturation state, standard deviation; Area, standard error; Area in square milimeter; Benthic animals; Benthos; Bicarbonate ion; Bicarbonate ion, standard deviation; Biomass/Abundance/Elemental composition; Calcification/Dissolution; Calcification rate, standard error; Calcification rate of calcium carbonate; Calcifying fluid, pH; Calcifying fluid, pH, standard error; Calcite saturation state; Calculated using CO2SYS; Calculated using seacarb after Nisumaa et al. (2010); Carbon, inorganic, dissolved; Carbon, inorganic, dissolved, standard deviation; Carbonate ion; Carbonate ion, standard deviation; Carbonate system computation flag; Carbon dioxide; Chlorophyll a; Chlorophyll a, per protein; Chlorophyll a, standard error; Chlorophyll a per cell; Chlorophyll c2; Chlorophyll c2, per protein; Chlorophyll c2, standard error; Chlorophyll c2 per cell; Cnidaria; Coast and continental shelf; Corallite, per skeleton surface area; Corallite, per skeleton surface area, standard error; Density, skeletal bulk; Density, skeletal bulk, standard error; Figure; Fugacity of carbon dioxide (water) at sea surface temperature (wet air); Growth/Morphology; Laboratory experiment; Linear extension; Linear extension, standard error; Mediterranean Sea; OA-ICC; Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre; Organic matrix protein, per skeleton; Organic matrix protein, per skeleton, standard error; Partial pressure of carbon dioxide, standard deviation; Partial pressure of carbon dioxide (water) at sea surface temperature (wet air); pH; pH, standard deviation; pH, standard error; Photosynthesis rate, oxygen, per protein; Photosynthesis rate of oxygen; Photosynthesis rate of oxygen, per symbiont cell; Photosynthesis rate of oxygen, standard error; Porosity; Porosity, standard error; Potentiometric; Potentiometric titration; Primary production/Photosynthesis; Protein per surface area; Proteins, standard error; Respiration; Respiration rate, oxygen; Respiration rate, oxygen, per protein; Respiration rate, oxygen, standard error; Salinity; Single species; Species; Stylophora pistillata; Symbiont cell density; Symbiont cell density, standard error; Table; Temperature, water; Treatment; Tropical
Type:
Dataset
Format:
text/tab-separated-values, 464 data points
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