Biodiversity of coral reef cryptobiota shuffles but does not decline under the combined stressors of ocean warming and acidification.

ABSTRACT: Ocean-warming and acidification are predicted to reduce coral reef biodiversity, but the combined effects of these stressors on overall biodiversity are largely unmeasured. Here, we examined the individual and combined effects of elevated temperature (+2 °C) and reduced pH (-0.2 units) on the biodiversity of coral reef communities that developed on standardized sampling units over a 2-y mesocosm experiment. Biodiversity and species composition were measured using amplicon sequencing libraries targeting the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcoding gene. Ocean-warming significantly increased species richness relative to present-day control conditions, whereas acidification significantly reduced richness. Contrary to expectations, species richness in the combined future ocean treatment with both

SUBMITTER: Timmers MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8488634 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature