[Coral-List] New paper on the effects of nutrient enrichment and warming temperatures on the early life history stages of corals

[AdRiAnA HuMaNeS]

We are pleased to announce thepublication of the following manuscript in PLoS ONE:

‘Cumulative Effects of NutrientEnrichment and Elevated Temperature Compromise the Early Life History Stages ofthe Coral Acropora tenuis’ by Adriana Humanes, Sam H. C. Noonan, Bette L. Willis, Katharina E. Fabricius, Andrew P. Negri 
Nutrient runoff associated withcoastal activities and warming of seawater temperatures due to climate changeare exerting great pressures on inshore coral reefs. However, studies of thecombined effects of these stressors on important early life history stages ofcoral are lacking. In a series of experiments, we demonstrate that the effectsof organic nutrient enrichment and high temperatures (both through main effectsand their type of interactions) varied between the different early life historystages (fertilization, larval survivorship and settlement, and juvenilesurvivorship) of the coral Acroporatenuis.


 
We conclude that co-occurrence oforganic nutrient enrichment can exacerbate the negative effects of climatechange on important coral recruitment processes, but that the investigation ofdifferent life history stages may lead to contrasting findings. The cumulativeimpacts of simultaneous exposure to organic nutrient enrichment and elevatedtemperatures over all early life history stages also increases the likelihoodfor failure recruitment for this coral species.


 

 
You can access the paper here: 

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0161616


 

 
Thanks!


Adriana Humanes