Seawater carbonate chemistry during experiments with Stylophora pistillata, 2008

• Main Authors: Marubini, Francesca, Ferrier-Pagès, Christine, Furla, Paola, Allemand, Denis
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2008
• Subjects: Alkalinity; total; Animalia; Aragonite saturation state; Benthic animals; Benthos; Bicarbonate ion; Buoyant weighing technique according to Davies (1989); Calcification/Dissolution; Calcification rate of calcium carbonate; Calcite saturation state; Calculated using seacarb after Nisumaa et al. (2010); Carbon; inorganic; dissolved; Carbonate ion; Carbonate system computation flag; Carbon dioxide; Cnidaria; Coast and continental shelf; Containers and aquaria (20-1000 L or < 1 m**2); EPOCA; EUR-OCEANS; European network of excellence for Ocean Ecosystems Analysis; European Project on Ocean Acidification; EXP; Experiment; Experimental treatment; Fugacity of carbon dioxide (water) at sea surface temperature (wet air); Infrared gas analyzer (LI-COR 196SA); Laboratory experiment; Marubini_etal_08; Measured; Not applicable; OA-ICC; Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre; Partial pressure of carbon dioxide (water) at sea surface temperature (wet air); pH; Radiation; photosynthetically active; Salinity; Single species; Stylophora pistillata; Temperate; Temperature; water; Titration potentiometric (Metler-Toledo); Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.721770; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.721770

The decrease in the saturation state of seawater, following seawater acidification, is believed to be the main factor leading to a decrease in the calcification of marine organisms. To provide a physiological explanation for this phenomenon, the effect of seawater acidification was studied on the calcification and photosynthesis of the scleractinian tropical coral Stylophora pistillata. Coral nubbins were incubated for 8 days at three different pH (7.6, 8.0, and 8.2). To differentiate between the effects of the various components of the carbonate chemistry (pH, CO32, HCO3, CO2), tanks were also maintained under similar pH, but with 2-mM HCO3 added to the seawater. The addition of 2-mM bicarbonate significantly increased the photosynthesis in S. pistillata, suggesting carbon-limited conditions. Conversely, photosynthesis was insensitive to changes in pH and pCO2. Seawater acidification decreased coral calcification by ca. 0.1-mg CaCO3 g-1 d-1 for a decrease of 0.1 pH units. This correlation suggested that seawater acidification affected coral calcification by decreasing the availability of the CO32 substrate for calcification. However, the decrease in coral calcification could also be attributed either to a decrease in extra- or intracellular pH or to a change in the buffering capacity of the medium, impairing supply of CO32 from HCO3.