Abstract
Environmental stressors are adversely affecting coral reef ecosystems. There is ample evidence that scleractinian coral growth and physiology may be compromised by reduced pH, and elevated temperature, and that this is exacerbated by local environmental stressors. The Gulf of Aqaba is considered a coral reef refuge from acidification and warming but coastal development and nutrient effluent may pose a local threat. This study examined the effects of select forecasted environmental changes (acidification, warming, and increased nutrients) individually and in combination on the coral holobiont Stylophora pistillata from the Gulf of Aqaba to understand how corals in a potential global climate change refugia may fare in the face of local eutrophication. The results indicate interactions between all stressors, with elevated nutrient concentrations having the broadest individual and additive impacts upon the performance of S. pistillata. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining oligotrophic conditions to secure these reefs as potential refugia.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 701-711 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Marine Pollution Bulletin |
| Volume | 131 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors would like to acknowledge the scientists and students who attended and participated in the First International Ocean Acidification Workshop: Impacts of Ocean Acidification and Climate Change on Corals and Coral Reefs at the Interuniversity Institute of Marine Science in Eilat, Israel where this research took place. We are especially grateful to Ellie Foran, Yael Hazan, Rael Horwitz, Noa Mashiah, Eynav Cohen, all participants at the 2013 IUI/Mote OA Workshop and the IUI facilities support. Samples were collected under permit 2013/40158. This project was funded by individual and foundation donors (Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and Dart Foundation) to ERH, KBR, and EMM. Funding for EMM was also provided by a Mote Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation [grant number IOS 0747205 ] to TLG. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Funding Information:
The authors would like to acknowledge the scientists and students who attended and participated in the First International Ocean Acidification Workshop: Impacts of Ocean Acidification and Climate Change on Corals and Coral Reefs at the Interuniversity Institute of Marine Science in Eilat, Israel where this research took place. We are especially grateful to Ellie Foran, Yael Hazan, Rael Horwitz, Noa Mashiah, Eynav Cohen, all participants at the 2013 IUI/Mote OA Workshop and the IUI facilities support. Samples were collected under permit 2013/40158. This project was funded by individual and foundation donors (Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and Dart Foundation) to ERH, KBR, and EMM. Funding for EMM was also provided by a Mote Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation [grant number IOS 0747205] to TLG. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords
- Climate change
- Coral holobiont
- Gulf of Aqaba
- Nutrients
- Ocean acidification
- Stylophora pistillata
