Species-specific coral calcification responses to the extreme environment of the southern Persian Gulf

Howells, Emily J., Dunshea, Glenn, McParland, Dain, Vaughan, Grace O., Heron, Scott F., Pratchett, Morgan S., Burt, John A., and Bauman, Andrew G. (2018) Species-specific coral calcification responses to the extreme environment of the southern Persian Gulf. Frontiers in Marine Science, 5. 56.

[img]
Preview
PDF (Published Version) - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (1MB) | Preview
View at Publisher Website: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00056
 
16
959


Abstract

Sustained accretion of calcium carbonate (mostly by scleractinian corals) is fundamental for maintaining the structure and function of coral reef ecosystems, but may be greatly constrained by extreme and rapidly changing environmental conditions. Corals in the southern Persian Gulf already experience extreme temperature ranges (< 20 to > 34°C), chronic hypersalinity (> 43 psu) and frequent light limitation (< 100 μmol photons m-2 s-1). We compared annual rates of calcification for two of the most common coral species in the region (Platygyra daedalea and Cyphastrea microphthalma) along marked gradients in environmental conditions in the southern Persian Gulf and into the Oman Sea. Overall calcification rates were 32% higher in P. daedalea colonies (x = 1.103 g cm-2 y-1, n = 46) than in C. microphthalma (x = 0.835 g cm-2 y-1, n = 37), probably reflecting inter-specific differences in energy allocation and skeletal density. There was also considerable variation in calcification rates among individual colonies from the same locations that was unrelated to depth or photosymbiont type. However, most interestingly, P. daedalea and C. microphthalma exhibited contrasting trends in mean annual calcification rates across locations. For P. daedalea, calcification rates were lowest at Delma, where the minimum temperatures were lowest and salinity was highest, and increased across the southern Persian Gulf with increases in minimum temperatures and decreases in salinity. These data suggest that calcification rates of P. daedalea are most constrained by minimum temperatures, which is consistent with the strong relationship between annual calcification rates and minimum local temperatures recorded across the Indo-Pacific. Conversely, linear extension and calcification of C. microphthalma in the southern Persian Gulf was lowest at Ras Ghanada, where there was lowest light and highest maximum temperatures. These data reveal striking taxonomic differences in the specific environmental constraints on coral calcification, which will further reinforce changes in the structure of coral assemblages with ongoing global climate change.

Item ID: 58529
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 2296-7745
Keywords: Arabian Gulf; Coral calcification; Coral growth; Cyphastrea; Extreme environments; Gulf of Oman; Persian Gulf; Platygyra
Copyright Information: © 2018 Howells, Dunshea, McParland, Vaughan, Heron, Pratchett, Burt and Bauman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Funders: New York University, Abu Dhabi (NYU-AD), AXA Research Fund, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Program, NOAA/National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) Center for Satellite Applications and Research
Projects and Grants: AXA Research Fund - Postdoctoral Fellowship 154-000-649-507
Date Deposited: 05 Jun 2019 03:58
FoR Codes: 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310305 Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) @ 100%
Downloads: Total: 959
Last 12 Months: 10
More Statistics

Actions (Repository Staff Only)

Item Control Page Item Control Page