Effects of ultraviolet radiation and nutrient level on the physiological response and organic matter release of the scleractinian coral Pocillopora damicornis following thermal stress.

ABSTRACT: Understanding which factors enhance or mitigate the impact of high temperatures on corals is crucial to predict the severity of coral bleaching worldwide. On the one hand, global warming is usually associated with high ultraviolet radiation levels (UVR), and surface water nutrient depletion due to stratification. On the other hand, eutrophication of coastal reefs increases levels of inorganic nutrients and decreases UVR, so that the effect of different combinations of these stressors on corals is unknown. In this study, we assessed the individual and crossed effects of high temperature, UVR and nutrient level on the key performance variables of the reef building coral Pocillopora damicornis. We found that seawater warming was the major stressor, which induced bleaching and impaired coral p

SUBMITTER: Courtial L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6200223 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature