SEMINAR: MBF 602 seminar Rebecca Albright Friday October 1 2010 4p

[shartley@rsmas.miami.edu]

Ocean acidification compromises recruitment success of the threatened
Caribbean coral Acropora palmata.


Ocean acidification (OA) refers to the ongoing decline in oceanic pH
resulting from the uptake of atmospheric CO2. Mounting experimental
evidence suggests that OA will hold negative consequences for a variety of
marine organisms. While the effect of OA on the calcification of adult
reef corals is increasingly well-documented, effects on early life history
stages are largely unknown. Coral recruitment, which necessitates
successful fertilization, larval settlement, and post-settlement growth
and survivorship, is critical to the persistence and resilience of coral
reefs. To determine whether OA threatens successful sexual recruitment of
reef-building corals, I tested fertilization, settlement, and
post-settlement growth of Acropora palmata at pCO2 levels that represent
average ambient conditions during coral spawning (~400 µatm) and the range
of pCO2 increases that are expected to occur this century [~560 µatm (mid
CO2) and ~800 µatm (high CO2)]. Fertilization, settlement and growth were
all negatively impacted by increasing pCO2; impairment of fertilization
was exacerbated at lower sperm concentrations. The cumulative impact of
ocean acidification on fertilization and settlement success is estimated
to be a 52% and 73% reduction in the number of larval settlers on the reef
under pCO2 conditions projected for the middle and end of this century,
respectively.  Additional declines of 39% (mid CO2) and 50% (high CO2)
were observed in post-settlement linear extension rates relative to
controls. These results suggest that OA has the potential to impact
multiple, sequential early life history stages, thereby severely
compromising sexual recruitment and the ability of coral reefs to recover
from disturbance.


Rebecca Albright
B.S. Biology in 2003, Duke University, Durham, NC
Entered Ph.D. program in fall 2005
Advisor: Dr. Chris Langdon



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