Calcification responses of symbiotic and aposymbiotic corals to near-future levels of ocean acidification

• Published in: Biogeosciences
• Main Authors: S. Ohki, T. Irie, M. Inoue, K. Shinmen, H. Kawahata, T. Nakamura, A. Kato, Y. Nojiri, A. Suzuki, K. Sakai, R. van Woesik
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2013
• Subjects: Ecology; QH540-549.5; Life; QH501-531; Geology; QE1-996.5; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6807-2013; https://doaj.org/article/85cb4207453d4c2585d21f20688800d9

Increasing the acidity of ocean waters will directly threaten calcifying marine organisms such as reef-building scleractinian corals, and the myriad of species that rely on corals for protection and sustenance. Ocean pH has already decreased by around 0.1 pH units since the beginning of the industrial revolution, and is expected to decrease by another 0.2–0.4 pH units by 2100. This study mimicked the pre-industrial, present, and near-future levels of p CO 2 using a precise control system (± 5% p CO 2 ), to assess the impact of ocean acidification on the calcification of recently settled primary polyps of Acropora digitifera , both with and without symbionts, and adult fragments with symbionts. The increase in p CO 2 of ~100 μatm between the pre-industrial period and the present had more effect on the calcification rate of adult A. digitifera than the anticipated future increases of several hundreds of micro-atmospheres of p CO 2 . The primary polyps with symbionts showed higher calcification rates than primary polyps without symbionts, suggesting that: (i) primary polyps housing symbionts are more tolerant to near-future ocean acidification than organisms without symbionts, and (ii) corals acquiring symbionts from the environment (i.e., broadcasting species) will be more vulnerable to ocean acidification than corals that maternally acquire symbionts.