[Coral-List] Coral porosity and ocean acidification. A new study at CO2 vents in Nature Communications

[Fiorella Prada - Marine Science Group]

Dear All,


We’d like to share a recent study on the effect of seawater acidification
on coral biomineralization, published in Nature Communications.


In this study we investigate the acclimation potential of corals living
along a pH gradient at a Mediterranean CO2 vent, that serves as a natural
long-term experimental setting.

We show that in response to reduced skeletal mineralization at lower pH,
corals increase their skeletal macroporosity while keeping constant linear
extension rate, the latter being an important criterion for reproductive
output. Higher skeletal porosity, and reduced bulk density and stiffness
may contribute to increase damage susceptibility and reduce abundance at
low pH.

Based on these observations, the rate of linear extension, which is the
almost universally employed measure of coral biomineralization, might not
be a reliable metric for assessing coral health and resilience in a warming
and acidifying ocean.


Please find below the title, authors, references and the link to the
article:


"Gains and losses of coral skeletal porosity changes with ocean
acidification acclimation"


Fantazzini P, Mengoli S, Pasquini L, Bortolotti V, Brizi L, Mariani M, Di
Giosia M, Fermani S, Capaccioni B, Caroselli E, Prada F, Zaccanti F, Levy
L, Dubinsky Z, Kaandorp JA, Konglerd P, Hammel JU, Dauphin Y, Cuif JP,
Weaver JC, Fabricius KE, Wagermaier W, Fratzl P, Falini G, Goffredo S


2015, Nature Communications, doi: 10.1038/ncomms8785


http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2015/150717/ncomms8785/full/ncomms8785.html



Cheers,


Fiorella Prada and Erik Caroselli

Marine Science Group

Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences

University of Bologna