Impacts of Warming and Acidification on Coral Calcification Linked to Photosymbiont Loss and Deregulation of Calcifying Fluid pH
Corals are globally important calcifiers that exhibit complex responses to anthropogenic warming and acidification. Although coral calcification is supported by high seawater pH, photosynthesis by the algal symbionts of zooxanthellate corals can be promoted by elevated pCO<sub>2</sub>. T...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-08-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/8/1106 |
| _version_ | 1797444254019092480 |
|---|---|
| author | Louise P. Cameron Claire E. Reymond Jelle Bijma Janina V. Büscher Dirk De Beer Maxence Guillermic Robert A. Eagle John Gunnell Fiona Müller-Lundin Gertraud M. Schmidt-Grieb Isaac Westfield Hildegard Westphal Justin B. Ries |
| author_facet | Louise P. Cameron Claire E. Reymond Jelle Bijma Janina V. Büscher Dirk De Beer Maxence Guillermic Robert A. Eagle John Gunnell Fiona Müller-Lundin Gertraud M. Schmidt-Grieb Isaac Westfield Hildegard Westphal Justin B. Ries |
| author_sort | Louise P. Cameron |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Corals are globally important calcifiers that exhibit complex responses to anthropogenic warming and acidification. Although coral calcification is supported by high seawater pH, photosynthesis by the algal symbionts of zooxanthellate corals can be promoted by elevated pCO<sub>2</sub>. To investigate the mechanisms underlying corals’ complex responses to global change, three species of tropical zooxanthellate corals (<i>Stylophora pistillata</i>, <i>Pocillopora damicornis</i>, and <i>Seriatopora hystrix</i>) and one species of asymbiotic cold-water coral (<i>Desmophyllum pertusum</i>, syn. <i>Lophelia pertusa</i>) were cultured under a range of ocean acidification and warming scenarios. Under control temperatures, all tropical species exhibited increased calcification rates in response to increasing pCO<sub>2</sub>. However, the tropical species’ response to increasing pCO<sub>2</sub> flattened when they lost symbionts (i.e., bleached) under the high-temperature treatments—suggesting that the loss of symbionts neutralized the benefit of increased pCO<sub>2</sub> on calcification rate. Notably, the cold-water species that lacks symbionts exhibited a negative calcification response to increasing pCO<sub>2</sub>, although this negative response was partially ameliorated under elevated temperature. All four species elevated their calcifying fluid pH relative to seawater pH under all pCO<sub>2</sub> treatments, and the magnitude of this offset (Δ[H<sup>+</sup>]) increased with increasing pCO<sub>2</sub>. Furthermore, calcifying fluid pH decreased along with symbiont abundance under thermal stress for the one species in which calcifying fluid pH was measured under both temperature treatments. This observation suggests a mechanistic link between photosymbiont loss (‘bleaching’) and impairment of zooxanthellate corals’ ability to elevate calcifying fluid pH in support of calcification under heat stress. This study supports the assertion that thermally induced loss of photosymbionts impairs tropical zooxanthellate corals’ ability to cope with CO<sub>2</sub>-induced ocean acidification. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:09:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-befdccca4777446e9e257ceb36440db2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1312 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:09:57Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-befdccca4777446e9e257ceb36440db22023-11-30T21:43:56ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122022-08-01108110610.3390/jmse10081106Impacts of Warming and Acidification on Coral Calcification Linked to Photosymbiont Loss and Deregulation of Calcifying Fluid pHLouise P. Cameron0Claire E. Reymond1Jelle Bijma2Janina V. Büscher3Dirk De Beer4Maxence Guillermic5Robert A. Eagle6John Gunnell7Fiona Müller-Lundin8Gertraud M. Schmidt-Grieb9Isaac Westfield10Hildegard Westphal11Justin B. Ries12Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Nahant, MA 01908, USALeibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), 28359 Bremen, GermanyAlfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, GermanyGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, 24148 Kiel, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, GermanyAtmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USAAtmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USADepartment of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Nahant, MA 01908, USADepartment of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Nahant, MA 01908, USAGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, 24148 Kiel, GermanyDepartment of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Nahant, MA 01908, USALeibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), 28359 Bremen, GermanyDepartment of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Nahant, MA 01908, USACorals are globally important calcifiers that exhibit complex responses to anthropogenic warming and acidification. Although coral calcification is supported by high seawater pH, photosynthesis by the algal symbionts of zooxanthellate corals can be promoted by elevated pCO<sub>2</sub>. To investigate the mechanisms underlying corals’ complex responses to global change, three species of tropical zooxanthellate corals (<i>Stylophora pistillata</i>, <i>Pocillopora damicornis</i>, and <i>Seriatopora hystrix</i>) and one species of asymbiotic cold-water coral (<i>Desmophyllum pertusum</i>, syn. <i>Lophelia pertusa</i>) were cultured under a range of ocean acidification and warming scenarios. Under control temperatures, all tropical species exhibited increased calcification rates in response to increasing pCO<sub>2</sub>. However, the tropical species’ response to increasing pCO<sub>2</sub> flattened when they lost symbionts (i.e., bleached) under the high-temperature treatments—suggesting that the loss of symbionts neutralized the benefit of increased pCO<sub>2</sub> on calcification rate. Notably, the cold-water species that lacks symbionts exhibited a negative calcification response to increasing pCO<sub>2</sub>, although this negative response was partially ameliorated under elevated temperature. All four species elevated their calcifying fluid pH relative to seawater pH under all pCO<sub>2</sub> treatments, and the magnitude of this offset (Δ[H<sup>+</sup>]) increased with increasing pCO<sub>2</sub>. Furthermore, calcifying fluid pH decreased along with symbiont abundance under thermal stress for the one species in which calcifying fluid pH was measured under both temperature treatments. This observation suggests a mechanistic link between photosymbiont loss (‘bleaching’) and impairment of zooxanthellate corals’ ability to elevate calcifying fluid pH in support of calcification under heat stress. This study supports the assertion that thermally induced loss of photosymbionts impairs tropical zooxanthellate corals’ ability to cope with CO<sub>2</sub>-induced ocean acidification.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/8/1106microelectrodeocean acidificationglobal warmingcalcifying fluidscleractinian coralzooxanthellate photosymbiont |
| spellingShingle | Louise P. Cameron Claire E. Reymond Jelle Bijma Janina V. Büscher Dirk De Beer Maxence Guillermic Robert A. Eagle John Gunnell Fiona Müller-Lundin Gertraud M. Schmidt-Grieb Isaac Westfield Hildegard Westphal Justin B. Ries Impacts of Warming and Acidification on Coral Calcification Linked to Photosymbiont Loss and Deregulation of Calcifying Fluid pH Journal of Marine Science and Engineering microelectrode ocean acidification global warming calcifying fluid scleractinian coral zooxanthellate photosymbiont |
| title | Impacts of Warming and Acidification on Coral Calcification Linked to Photosymbiont Loss and Deregulation of Calcifying Fluid pH |
| title_full | Impacts of Warming and Acidification on Coral Calcification Linked to Photosymbiont Loss and Deregulation of Calcifying Fluid pH |
| title_fullStr | Impacts of Warming and Acidification on Coral Calcification Linked to Photosymbiont Loss and Deregulation of Calcifying Fluid pH |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impacts of Warming and Acidification on Coral Calcification Linked to Photosymbiont Loss and Deregulation of Calcifying Fluid pH |
| title_short | Impacts of Warming and Acidification on Coral Calcification Linked to Photosymbiont Loss and Deregulation of Calcifying Fluid pH |
| title_sort | impacts of warming and acidification on coral calcification linked to photosymbiont loss and deregulation of calcifying fluid ph |
| topic | microelectrode ocean acidification global warming calcifying fluid scleractinian coral zooxanthellate photosymbiont |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/8/1106 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT louisepcameron impactsofwarmingandacidificationoncoralcalcificationlinkedtophotosymbiontlossandderegulationofcalcifyingfluidph AT claireereymond impactsofwarmingandacidificationoncoralcalcificationlinkedtophotosymbiontlossandderegulationofcalcifyingfluidph AT jellebijma impactsofwarmingandacidificationoncoralcalcificationlinkedtophotosymbiontlossandderegulationofcalcifyingfluidph AT janinavbuscher impactsofwarmingandacidificationoncoralcalcificationlinkedtophotosymbiontlossandderegulationofcalcifyingfluidph AT dirkdebeer impactsofwarmingandacidificationoncoralcalcificationlinkedtophotosymbiontlossandderegulationofcalcifyingfluidph AT maxenceguillermic impactsofwarmingandacidificationoncoralcalcificationlinkedtophotosymbiontlossandderegulationofcalcifyingfluidph AT robertaeagle impactsofwarmingandacidificationoncoralcalcificationlinkedtophotosymbiontlossandderegulationofcalcifyingfluidph AT johngunnell impactsofwarmingandacidificationoncoralcalcificationlinkedtophotosymbiontlossandderegulationofcalcifyingfluidph AT fionamullerlundin impactsofwarmingandacidificationoncoralcalcificationlinkedtophotosymbiontlossandderegulationofcalcifyingfluidph AT gertraudmschmidtgrieb impactsofwarmingandacidificationoncoralcalcificationlinkedtophotosymbiontlossandderegulationofcalcifyingfluidph AT isaacwestfield impactsofwarmingandacidificationoncoralcalcificationlinkedtophotosymbiontlossandderegulationofcalcifyingfluidph AT hildegardwestphal impactsofwarmingandacidificationoncoralcalcificationlinkedtophotosymbiontlossandderegulationofcalcifyingfluidph AT justinbries impactsofwarmingandacidificationoncoralcalcificationlinkedtophotosymbiontlossandderegulationofcalcifyingfluidph |