Physiological responses of Pocillopora corals to upwelling events in the Eastern Tropical Pacific
Upwelling events can change the sea water conditions within few hours during several months on a seasonal regimen. These events are predicted to intensify due to climate change, exposing shallow benthic organisms to hypoxia and thermal stress, among other extreme conditions. Some coral reefs in the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1212717/full |
| _version_ | 1827889614142046208 |
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| author | Ana Lucia Castrillón-Cifuentes Ana Lucia Castrillón-Cifuentes Fernando A. Zapata Christian Wild |
| author_facet | Ana Lucia Castrillón-Cifuentes Ana Lucia Castrillón-Cifuentes Fernando A. Zapata Christian Wild |
| author_sort | Ana Lucia Castrillón-Cifuentes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Upwelling events can change the sea water conditions within few hours during several months on a seasonal regimen. These events are predicted to intensify due to climate change, exposing shallow benthic organisms to hypoxia and thermal stress, among other extreme conditions. Some coral reefs in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) recurrently experience upwelling events. Coral reefs off Gorgona Island, Colombia, are exposed to lower oxygen concentrations (3.0 - 3.7 mg O2 L-1) and lower temperatures (17 - 24°C) from mid-January to mid-April, when upwelling develops, compared to the rest of the year (4.9 ± 0.7 mg O2 L-1, 28.4 ± 0.3°C, mean ± SD). While no visible signs of stress have been reported for corals during upwelling, it can be hypothesized that corals would be negatively affected by these changes. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to (1) identify the effects of temperature and hypoxia on the metabolic rate (MO2) of Pocillopora corals under lab conditions, and (2) to examine the changes in skeletal growth and Symbiodiniaceae density of Pocillopora in the field between upwelling and non-upwelling seasons. Findings revealed that MO2 was significantly reduced by 20% at 24°C and significantly increased by 10% at 32°C compared to 28°C. During the upwelling season, Pocillopora corals exhibited a 52% increase in Symbiodiniaceae density, but the growth rate decreased by 50% compared to the non-upwelling season. Fast changes in water conditions during the upwelling strongly affects the metabolism of Pocillopora corals. Although conditions during upwelling were not lethal, they compromised the energy of the coral for their vital functions, indicating that upwelling pushes them toward their physiological limit. Consequently, predicted increases in upwelling events in combination with ocean warming and deoxygenation may be particularly critical for upwelling-exposed corals and the reefs they build in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T20:58:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7af8fef4dc56429da45c8f6a19b99f80 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T20:58:08Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-7af8fef4dc56429da45c8f6a19b99f802023-07-31T13:16:53ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452023-07-011010.3389/fmars.2023.12127171212717Physiological responses of Pocillopora corals to upwelling events in the Eastern Tropical PacificAna Lucia Castrillón-Cifuentes0Ana Lucia Castrillón-Cifuentes1Fernando A. Zapata2Christian Wild3Marine Ecology Department, University of Bremen, Bremen, GermanyCoral Reef Ecology Research Group, Universidad del Valle, Cali, ColombiaCoral Reef Ecology Research Group, Universidad del Valle, Cali, ColombiaMarine Ecology Department, University of Bremen, Bremen, GermanyUpwelling events can change the sea water conditions within few hours during several months on a seasonal regimen. These events are predicted to intensify due to climate change, exposing shallow benthic organisms to hypoxia and thermal stress, among other extreme conditions. Some coral reefs in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) recurrently experience upwelling events. Coral reefs off Gorgona Island, Colombia, are exposed to lower oxygen concentrations (3.0 - 3.7 mg O2 L-1) and lower temperatures (17 - 24°C) from mid-January to mid-April, when upwelling develops, compared to the rest of the year (4.9 ± 0.7 mg O2 L-1, 28.4 ± 0.3°C, mean ± SD). While no visible signs of stress have been reported for corals during upwelling, it can be hypothesized that corals would be negatively affected by these changes. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to (1) identify the effects of temperature and hypoxia on the metabolic rate (MO2) of Pocillopora corals under lab conditions, and (2) to examine the changes in skeletal growth and Symbiodiniaceae density of Pocillopora in the field between upwelling and non-upwelling seasons. Findings revealed that MO2 was significantly reduced by 20% at 24°C and significantly increased by 10% at 32°C compared to 28°C. During the upwelling season, Pocillopora corals exhibited a 52% increase in Symbiodiniaceae density, but the growth rate decreased by 50% compared to the non-upwelling season. Fast changes in water conditions during the upwelling strongly affects the metabolism of Pocillopora corals. Although conditions during upwelling were not lethal, they compromised the energy of the coral for their vital functions, indicating that upwelling pushes them toward their physiological limit. Consequently, predicted increases in upwelling events in combination with ocean warming and deoxygenation may be particularly critical for upwelling-exposed corals and the reefs they build in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1212717/fullthermal stressmetabolic rategrowth rateZooxanthellae densityhypoxic threshold |
| spellingShingle | Ana Lucia Castrillón-Cifuentes Ana Lucia Castrillón-Cifuentes Fernando A. Zapata Christian Wild Physiological responses of Pocillopora corals to upwelling events in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Frontiers in Marine Science thermal stress metabolic rate growth rate Zooxanthellae density hypoxic threshold |
| title | Physiological responses of Pocillopora corals to upwelling events in the Eastern Tropical Pacific |
| title_full | Physiological responses of Pocillopora corals to upwelling events in the Eastern Tropical Pacific |
| title_fullStr | Physiological responses of Pocillopora corals to upwelling events in the Eastern Tropical Pacific |
| title_full_unstemmed | Physiological responses of Pocillopora corals to upwelling events in the Eastern Tropical Pacific |
| title_short | Physiological responses of Pocillopora corals to upwelling events in the Eastern Tropical Pacific |
| title_sort | physiological responses of pocillopora corals to upwelling events in the eastern tropical pacific |
| topic | thermal stress metabolic rate growth rate Zooxanthellae density hypoxic threshold |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1212717/full |
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