Two decades of seawater acidification experiments on tropical scleractinian corals: Overview, meta-analysis and perspectives

• Published in: Marine Pollution Bulletin
• Main Authors: Godefroid, Mathilde, Dupont, Sam, Metian, Marc, Hédouin, Laetitia
• Other Authors: Centre de recherches insulaires et observatoire de l'environnement (CRIOBE), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL (LabEX CORAIL), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université des Antilles et de la Guyane (UAG)-École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Université de la Polynésie Française (UPF)-Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (UNC)-Institut d'écologie et environnement-Université des Antilles (UA), Göteborgs Universitet = University of Gothenburg (GU), International Atomic Energy Agency - Environment Laboratories Monaco (IAEA-EL)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2022
• Subjects: Ocean acidification; Tropical scleractinian; PH; Calcification; Review; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology
• Online Access: https://univ-perp.hal.science/hal-03841318; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113552

International audience Ocean acidification has emerged as a major concern in the last fifteen years and studies on the impacts of seawater acidification on marine organisms have multiplied accordingly. This review aimed at synthesizing the literature on the effects of seawater acidification on tropical scleractinians under laboratory-controlled conditions. We identified 141 articles (published between 1999 and 2021) and separated endpoints into 22 biological categories to identify global trends for mitigation and gaps in knowledge and research priorities for future investigators. The relative number of affected endpoints increased with pH intensity (particularly for endpoints associated to calcification and reproduction). When exposed to pH 7.6–7.8 (compared to higher pH), 49% of endpoints were affected. The diversity in experimental designs prevented deciphering the modulating role of coral life stages, genera or duration of exposure. Finally, important bias in research efforts included most experiments on adult corals (68.5%), in 27 out of 150 (18%) coral ecoregions and exclusively from shallow-waters.