Seawater carbonate chemistry and biological processes of coral Acropora muricata during experiments and observations in La Saline fringing reef, La Reunion Island, western Indian Ocean, 2011 ...

• Main Authors: Chauvin, Anne, Denis, Vianney, Cuet, Pascale
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2011
• Subjects: Acropora muricata; Animalia; Benthic animals; Benthos; Biomass/Abundance/Elemental composition; Bottles or small containers/Aquaria <20 L; Calcification/Dissolution; Cnidaria; Coast and continental shelf; Growth/Morphology; Indian Ocean; Laboratory experiment; Macro-nutrients; Primary production/Photosynthesis; Single species; Tropical; European network of excellence for Ocean Ecosystems Analysis EUR-OCEANS; European Project on Ocean Acidification EPOCA; Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre OA-ICC; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.771570; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.771570

The effect of decreasing aragonite saturation state (Omega Arag) of seawater (elevated pCO2) on calcification rates of Acropora muricata was studied using nubbins prepared from parent colonies located at two sites of La Saline reef (La Réunion Island, western Indian Ocean): a back-reef site (BR) affected by nutrient-enriched groundwater discharge (mainly nitrate), and a reef flat site (RF) with low terrigenous inputs. Protein and chlorophyll a content of the nubbins, as well as zooxanthellae abundance, were lower at RF than BR. Nubbins were incubated at ~27°C over 2 h under sunlight, in filtered seawater manipulated to get differing initial pCO2 (1,440-340 µatm), Omega Arag (1.4-4.0), and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations (2,100-1,850 µmol/kg). Increasing DIC concentrations at constant total alkalinity (AT) resulted in a decrease in Omega Arag and an increase in pCO2. AT at the beginning of the incubations was kept at a natural level of 2,193 ± 6 µmol/kg (mean ± SD). Net photosynthesis (NP) and ... : Supplement to: Chauvin, Anne; Denis, Vianney; Cuet, Pascale (2011): Is the response of coral calcification to seawater acidification related to nutrient loading? Coral Reefs, 30(4), 911-923 ...