High pCO(2) promotes coral primary production

• Published in: Biology Letters
• Main Authors: Biscere, T., Zampighi, M., Lorrain, Anne, Jurriaans, S., Foggo, A., Houlbreque, F., Rodolfo-Metalpa, R.
• Other Authors: Ecologie marine tropicale des océans Pacifique et Indien (ENTROPIE Nouvelle-Calédonie ), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD Nouvelle-Calédonie )-Délégation Ifremer de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (UNC), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement Marin (LEMAR) (LEMAR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), James Cook University (JCU), Plymouth University, ANR-15-CE02-0006,CARiOCA,Acclimatation des coraux à l'acidification des océans autour de résurgences sous-marines de CO2(2015)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2019
• Subjects: ACL; growth; ocean acidification; ph; acclimatization; CO2 seeps; coral reefs; metabolic flexibility; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-02749003; https://hal.science/hal-02749003/document; https://hal.science/hal-02749003/file/Bisc%C3%A9r%C3%A9_etal_BL_2019.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0777

WOS:000479136400001 International audience While research on ocean acidification (OA) impacts on coral reefs has focused on calcification, relatively little is known about effects on coral photosynthesis and respiration, despite these being among the most plastic metabolic processes corals may use to acclimatize to adverse conditions. Here, we present data collected between 2016 and 2018 at three natural CO2 seeps in Papua New Guinea where we measured the metabolic flexibility (i.e. in hospite photosynthesis and dark respiration) of 12 coral species. Despite some species-specific variability, metabolic rates as measured by net oxygen flux tended to be higher at high pCO(2) (ca 1200 mu atm), with increases in photosynthesis exceeding those of respiration, suggesting greater productivity of Symbiodiniaceae photosynthesis in hospite, and indicating the potential for metabolic flexibility that may enable these species to thrive in environments with high pCO(2). However, laboratory and field observations of coral mortality under high CO2 conditions associated with coral bleaching suggests that this metabolic subsidy does not result in coral higher resistance to extreme thermal stress. Therefore, the combined effects of OA and global warming may lead to a strong decrease in coral diversity despite the stimulating effect on coral productivity of OA alone.