Influence of Anthropogenic Climate Change on the Ecophysiology of the Cold Water Coral Lophelia pertusa = Einfluss des anthropogenen Klimawandels auf die Ökophysiologie der Kaltwasserkoralle Lophelia pertusa

• Main Author: Form, Armin
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Lophelia pertusa
• Online Access: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/13926/; https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/13926/1/DISS_FormA_2011.pdf

The scleractinian coral Lophelia pertusa (Caryophylliidae) is the most common frameworkforming cold-water coral with a global distribution. L. pertusa bioherms are hot-spots of biodiversity because their three-dimensional framework provides niches and nursery grounds for a variety of species, including commercially important fish species. In contrast to shallowwater corals from the tropics, very little is known about the ecophysiology of cold-water corals such as L. pertusa and their sensitivity towards climate change. The present study intends to start filling this knowledge gap by examining a variety of L. pertusa’s ecophysiological responses (e.g. food uptake, respiration, growth, fitness, behaviour) under present-day (in the following referred as “ambient”) and experimentally manipulated environmental conditions. Living specimens of L. pertusa from two Norwegian cold-water coral locations (Oslofjord and Sula Reef Complex) were collected during two research cruises with the aid of the manned submersible JAGO and transferred into a newly established closed recirculating system at IFM-GEOMAR. Long-term analyses (>3 years) of dissolved inorganic nutrients revealed the high tolerance of L. pertusa to rising concentrations of nitrate and phosphate. However, for the main toxic compound - ammonium - it could be demonstrated that the corals’ polyp behaviour alters if concentrations are increased to > 17 μmol L-1. Food availability is thought to be one of the most important factors determining cold-water coral distribution and growth. This study provides feeding rates for three live food organisms encompassing different sizes and qualities. It also describes the food uptake mechanism for mesozooplankton based on the first video documentation of the whole feeding process. The effect of rising temperatures (ocean warming) on the oxygen consumption, fitness, and behaviour was investigated through a combination of short-term and long-term aquarium experiments. This study shows that at ambient conditions of 7.5 °C L. ...