Seawater carbonate chemistry and calcification during experiments with corals, 2003 ...

Biogenic calcification is influenced by the concentration of available carbonate ions. The recent confirmation of this for hermatypic corals has raised concern over the future of coral reefs because [CO3] is a decreasing function of increasing pCO2 in the atmosphere. As one of the overriding feature...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Marubini, Francesca, Ferrier-Pagès, Christine, Cuif, Jean-Pierre
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: PANGAEA 2003
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.819631
https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.819631
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Summary:Biogenic calcification is influenced by the concentration of available carbonate ions. The recent confirmation of this for hermatypic corals has raised concern over the future of coral reefs because [CO3] is a decreasing function of increasing pCO2 in the atmosphere. As one of the overriding features of coral reefs is their diversity, understanding the degree of variability between species in their ability to cope with a change in [CO3] is a priority. We cultured four phylogenetically and physiologically different species of hermatypic coral (Acropora verweyi, Galaxea fascicularis, Pavona cactus and Turbinaria reniformis) under 'normal' (280 µmol/kg) and 'low' (140 µmol/kg) carbonate-ion concentrations. The effect on skeletogenesis was investigated quantitatively (by calcification rate) and qualitatively (by microstructural appearance of growing crystalline fibres using scanning electron microscopy (SEM)). The 'low carbonate' treatment resulted in a significant suppression of calcification rate and a ... : Supplement to: Marubini, Francesca; Ferrier-Pagès, Christine; Cuif, Jean-Pierre (2003): Suppression of skeletal growth in scleractinian corals by decreasing ambient carbonate-ion concentration: a cross-family comparison. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 270(1511), 179-184 ...