Decoupling between the response of coral calcifying fluid pH and calcification to ocean acidification.

ABSTRACT: Evaluating the factors responsible for differing species-specific sensitivities to declining seawater pH is central to understanding the mechanisms via which ocean acidification (OA) affects coral calcification. We report here the results of an experiment comparing the responses of the coral Acropora yongei and Pocillopora damicornis to differing pH levels (8.09, 7.81, and 7.63) over an 8-week period. Calcification of A. youngei was reduced by 35% at pH 7.63, while calcification of P. damicornis was unaffected. The pH in the calcifying fluid (pH_cf) was determined using δ¹¹B systematics, and for both species pH_cf declined slightly with seawater pH, with the decrease being more pronounced in P. damicornis. The dissolved inorganic carbon concentration at the s

SUBMITTER: Comeau S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5548905 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature