Progressive changes in coral reef communities with increasing ocean acidification.

ABSTRACT: Ocean acidification from increasing atmospheric CO₂ is progressively affecting seawater chemistry, but predicting ongoing and near-future consequences for marine ecosystems is challenging without empirical field data. Here we quantify tropical coral reef benthic communities at 37 stations with varying exposure to submarine volcanic CO₂ seeping, and determine the aragonite saturation state (Ω_Ar) where significant changes occur in situ. With declining Ω_Ar, reef communities displayed progressive retractions of most reef-building taxa and a proliferation in the biomass and cover of non-calcareous brown and red algae, without clear tipping points. The percent cover of all complex habitat-forming corals, crustose coralline algae (CCA) and articulate co

SUBMITTER: Noonan SHC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12644485 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature