Calcification is not the Achilles’ heel of cold‐water corals in an acidifying ocean

• Published in: Global Change Biology
• Main Authors: Rodolfo‐Metalpa, R, Montagna, P, Aliani, S, Borghini, M, Canese, S, Hall‐Spencer, JM, Foggo, A, Milazzo, M, Taviani, M, Houlbrèque, F
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2015
• Subjects: calcification and dissolution; Caryophyllia smithii; cold-water corals; Dendrophyllia cornigera; Desmophyllum dianthus; ocean acidification; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/3912; https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12867

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Ocean acidification is thought to be a major threat to coral reefs: laboratory evidence and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CO</jats:styled-content><jats:sub>2</jats:sub> seep research has shown adverse effects on many coral species, although a few are resilient. There are concerns that cold‐water corals are even more vulnerable as they live in areas where aragonite saturation (Ω<jats:sub>ara</jats:sub>) is lower than in the tropics and is falling rapidly due to <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CO</jats:styled-content><jats:sub>2</jats:sub> emissions. Here, we provide laboratory evidence that net (gross calcification <jats:italic>minus</jats:italic> dissolution) and gross calcification rates of three common cold‐water corals, <jats:italic>Caryophyllia smithii</jats:italic>,<jats:italic> Dendrophyllia cornigera,</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Desmophyllum dianthus,</jats:italic> are not affected by <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case"><jats:italic>p</jats:italic>CO</jats:styled-content><jats:sub>2</jats:sub> levels expected for 2100 (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case"><jats:italic>p</jats:italic>CO</jats:styled-content><jats:sub>2 </jats:sub>1058 μatm, Ω<jats:sub>ara</jats:sub> 1.29), and nor are the rates of skeletal dissolution in <jats:italic>D. dianthus</jats:italic>. We transplanted <jats:italic>D. dianthus</jats:italic> to 350 m depth (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">pH<jats:sub>T</jats:sub></jats:styled-content> 8.02; <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case"><jats:italic>p</jats:italic>CO</jats:styled-content><jats:sub>2 </jats:sub>448 μatm, Ω<jats:sub>ara</jats:sub> 2.58) and to a 3 m depth <jats:styled-content ...