Seawater carbonate chemistry and tissue necrosis, photosynthetic efficiency and colour index of seven coral species

• Main Authors: Godefroid, Mathilde, Arçuby, Robin, Lacube, Yann, Espiau, Benoit, Dupont, Sam, Gazeau, Frédéric, Metian, Marc, Hédouin, Laetitia
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2021
• Subjects: Acropora cytherea; Acropora hyacinthus; Acropora pulchra; Alkalinity; total; standard error; Animalia; Aragonite saturation state; Benthic animals; Benthos; Bicarbonate ion; Calcite saturation state; Calculated using CO2SYS; Calculated using seacarb after Nisumaa et al. (2010); Carbon; inorganic; dissolved; Carbonate ion; Carbonate system computation flag; Carbon dioxide; Change; Cnidaria; Coast and continental shelf; Colony number/ID; Containers and aquaria (20-1000 L or < 1 m**2); EXP; Experiment; Fugacity of carbon dioxide (water) at sea surface temperature (wet air); Identification; Individuals; Laboratory experiment; Leptastrea pruinosa; Montipora grisea; Moorea_Lagoon; Mortality/Survival; Number; OA-ICC; Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre; Other studied parameter or process; Partial pressure of carbon dioxide (water) at sea surface temperature (wet air); Pavona cactus; pH; Photosynthetic efficiency; Pocillopora verrucosa; Potentiometric; Potentiometric titration; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.943216; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.943216

Responses of corals to seawater acidification have been extensively studied. Sensitivity varies widely between species, highlighting the need to avoid extrapolation from one to another to get an accurate understanding of coral community responses. We tested the responses of seven coral species (Acropora cytherea, Acropora hyacinthus, Acropora pulchra, Leptastrea pruinosa, Montipora grisea, Pavona cactus, Pocillopora verrucosa) from the Mo'orea lagoon to a 48-day exposure to three pH scenarios (pH 7.95, 7.7 and 7.3). Tissue necrosis, mortality, growth rates, photophysiological performances and colour index were recorded. Few significant differences were noted between pH 7.95 and 7.7, but species-specific responses were observed at pH 7.3. While our data do not allow identification of the mechanisms behind this diversity in response between species inhabiting the same environment, it can exclude several hypotheses such as local adaptation, skeletal type, corallum morphology or calcification rate as sole factors determining coral sensitivity to pH.