Effects of chronic low carbonate saturation levels on the distribution, growth and skeletal chemistry of deep-sea corals and other seamount megabenthos
Ocean acidification has been predicted to reduce the ability of marine organisms to produce carbonate skeletons, threatening their long-term viability and severely impacting marine ecosystems. Corals, as ecosystem engineers, have been identified as particularly vulnerable and important. To determine...
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ftanucanberra:oai:digitalcollections.anu.edu.au:1885/31365 2023-05-15T17:51:25+02:00 Effects of chronic low carbonate saturation levels on the distribution, growth and skeletal chemistry of deep-sea corals and other seamount megabenthos Thresher, R.E. Tilbrook, Bronte Fallon, Stewart Wilson, Nick C Adkins, J 2015-12-08T22:18:29Z http://hdl.handle.net/1885/31365 unknown Inter-Research 0171-8630 http://hdl.handle.net/1885/31365 Marine Ecology Progress Series Journal article 2015 ftanucanberra 2015-12-28T23:23:24Z Ocean acidification has been predicted to reduce the ability of marine organisms to produce carbonate skeletons, threatening their long-term viability and severely impacting marine ecosystems. Corals, as ecosystem engineers, have been identified as particularly vulnerable and important. To determine the sensitivity of corals and allied taxa to long-term exposure to very low carbonate concentrations, we examined the distribution and skeletal characteristics of coral taxa along a natural deep-sea concentration gradient on seamounts of SW Australia. Carbonate undersaturation had little evident effect on the depth distribution, growth or skeletal composition of live scleractinians or gorgonians, with corals growing, often abundantly, in waters as much as 20 to 30% under-saturated. Developmental anomalies in the deepest skeleton-forming anthozoan collected (an isidid gorgonian, at nearly 4 km depth) suggest an absolute low tolerance limit of about 40% under-saturation. Evidence for an effect of acidification on the accumulation of reef structure is ambiguous, with clear indications of dissolution of high-magnesium calcite (HMC) gorgonian skeletons at depths below 2300 m, but also abundant, old scleractinian skeletons well below the aragonite saturation horizon. The latter might be the result of ferromanganese deposition on exposed skeletons, which, however, may render them inhospitable for benthic organisms. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ocean acidification Australian National University: ANU Digital Collections |
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Open Polar |
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Australian National University: ANU Digital Collections |
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ftanucanberra |
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description |
Ocean acidification has been predicted to reduce the ability of marine organisms to produce carbonate skeletons, threatening their long-term viability and severely impacting marine ecosystems. Corals, as ecosystem engineers, have been identified as particularly vulnerable and important. To determine the sensitivity of corals and allied taxa to long-term exposure to very low carbonate concentrations, we examined the distribution and skeletal characteristics of coral taxa along a natural deep-sea concentration gradient on seamounts of SW Australia. Carbonate undersaturation had little evident effect on the depth distribution, growth or skeletal composition of live scleractinians or gorgonians, with corals growing, often abundantly, in waters as much as 20 to 30% under-saturated. Developmental anomalies in the deepest skeleton-forming anthozoan collected (an isidid gorgonian, at nearly 4 km depth) suggest an absolute low tolerance limit of about 40% under-saturation. Evidence for an effect of acidification on the accumulation of reef structure is ambiguous, with clear indications of dissolution of high-magnesium calcite (HMC) gorgonian skeletons at depths below 2300 m, but also abundant, old scleractinian skeletons well below the aragonite saturation horizon. The latter might be the result of ferromanganese deposition on exposed skeletons, which, however, may render them inhospitable for benthic organisms. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Thresher, R.E. Tilbrook, Bronte Fallon, Stewart Wilson, Nick C Adkins, J |
spellingShingle |
Thresher, R.E. Tilbrook, Bronte Fallon, Stewart Wilson, Nick C Adkins, J Effects of chronic low carbonate saturation levels on the distribution, growth and skeletal chemistry of deep-sea corals and other seamount megabenthos |
author_facet |
Thresher, R.E. Tilbrook, Bronte Fallon, Stewart Wilson, Nick C Adkins, J |
author_sort |
Thresher, R.E. |
title |
Effects of chronic low carbonate saturation levels on the distribution, growth and skeletal chemistry of deep-sea corals and other seamount megabenthos |
title_short |
Effects of chronic low carbonate saturation levels on the distribution, growth and skeletal chemistry of deep-sea corals and other seamount megabenthos |
title_full |
Effects of chronic low carbonate saturation levels on the distribution, growth and skeletal chemistry of deep-sea corals and other seamount megabenthos |
title_fullStr |
Effects of chronic low carbonate saturation levels on the distribution, growth and skeletal chemistry of deep-sea corals and other seamount megabenthos |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effects of chronic low carbonate saturation levels on the distribution, growth and skeletal chemistry of deep-sea corals and other seamount megabenthos |
title_sort |
effects of chronic low carbonate saturation levels on the distribution, growth and skeletal chemistry of deep-sea corals and other seamount megabenthos |
publisher |
Inter-Research |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/1885/31365 |
genre |
Ocean acidification |
genre_facet |
Ocean acidification |
op_source |
Marine Ecology Progress Series |
op_relation |
0171-8630 http://hdl.handle.net/1885/31365 |
_version_ |
1766158561791967232 |