Seawater carbonate chemistry, nutrients and growth rate of coral (Acropora intermedia) and coral-reef seaweed (Lobophora papenfussii) during experiments, 2011 ...

• Main Authors: Diaz-Pulido, Guillermo, Gouezo, Marine, Tilbrook, Bronte, Dove, Sophie, Anthony, Kenneth R N
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2011
• Subjects: Acropora intermedia; Benthic animals; Benthos; Bottles or small containers/Aquaria <20 L; Chromista; Coast and continental shelf; Growth/Morphology; Laboratory experiment; Lobophora papenfussii; Macroalgae; Ochrophyta; South Pacific; Species interaction; Tropical; Species; Experimental treatment; Identification; Sample ID; Salinity; Temperature, water; Replicates; pH; pH, standard deviation; Partial pressure of carbon dioxide water at sea surface temperature wet air; Carbon dioxide, partial pressure, standard deviation; Alkalinity, total; Alkalinity, total, standard deviation; Carbon, inorganic, dissolved; Carbon, inorganic, dissolved, standard deviation; Aragonite saturation state; Aragonite saturation state, standard deviation; Carbon, organic, dissolved; Carbon, organic, dissolved, standard deviation; Ammonium; Ammonium, standard deviation; Nitrite; Nitrite, standard deviation; Nitrate; Nitrate, standard deviation; Phosphate; Phosphate, standard deviation; Growth rate; Carbonate system computation flag; Carbon dioxide; Fugacity of carbon dioxide water at sea surface temperature wet air; Bicarbonate ion; Carbonate ion; Calcite saturation state; pH meter Mettler Toledo, USA; Calculated using CO2SYS; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.771295; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.771295

Space competition between corals and seaweeds is an important ecological process underlying coral-reef dynamics. Processes promoting seaweed growth and survival, such as herbivore overfishing and eutrophication, can lead to local reef degradation. Here, we present the case that increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2 may be an additional process driving a shift from corals to seaweeds on reefs. Coral (Acropora intermedia) mortality in contact with a common coral-reef seaweed (Lobophora papenfussii) increased two- to threefold between background CO2 (400 ppm) and highest level projected for late 21st century (1140 ppm). The strong interaction between CO2 and seaweeds on coral mortality was most likely attributable to a chemical competitive mechanism, as control corals with algal mimics showed no mortality. Our results suggest that coral (Acropora) reefs may become increasingly susceptible to seaweed proliferation under ocean acidification, and processes regulating algal abundance (e.g. herbivory) will ... : In order to allow full comparability with other ocean acidification data sets, the R package seacarb (Lavigne and Gattuso, 2011) was used to compute a complete and consistent set of carbonate system variables, as described by Nisumaa et al. (2010). In this dataset the original values were archived in addition with the recalculated parameters (see related PI). ...