Control group: representative photos of the experimental system after 22 months of the control cylinder (source: author of the paper). Springer Nature Courtesy photo
BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhua) -- In a recent climate change research paper published in Science Reports, an open-access academic journal owned by Springer Nature, researchers analyzed three Hawaiian coral species and found that some coral species are resilient to the effects of ocean warming and acidification caused by warming. The results of this study can help to further understand the potential survival and adaptability of some corals under changes in the marine environment.
Coral reefs around the world face the threat of ocean warming and acidification caused by climate change, which can put enormous pressure on coral health and could lead to large areas of coral bleaching, the paper said.
Experimental group: representative photos of experimental systems after 22 months under future marine conditions (Source: Author). Springer Nature Courtesy photo
Corresponding author Rowan McLachlan of Ohio State University and colleagues took 66 samples of three different coral species from four reef distribution sites in Hawaii from August 29 to November 11, 2015. The three coral species are a multi-branched slate coral, a flattened coastal coral (a multi-branched coral, also known as a finger coral), and a clumpy coral (a clump coral, also known as a leaf coral). The samples were stored in four seawater tanks under four different conditions: one was a control tank that simulated current ocean conditions; the other was a control tank that simulated ocean acidification (-0.2 pH units); the third was a condition that simulated ocean warming (+2°C); and the fourth was a combination of ocean acidification and warming conditions. Coral samples were placed for 22 months under these different conditions.
They found that coral survival was affected by temperature, with only 61 percent of coral samples surviving warmer conditions, compared with 92 percent in the control group. Under three different climate change conditions, the survival rate of multi-branched slate corals was lower than that of flattened corals (survival rates of 67% and 83%, respectively). Under conditions that combine warming and acidification, the vitality of flattened corals is stronger than that of multi-branched slate corals and clumps of corals, with sample survival rates of 71% and the latter two being 46% and 56%.
The authors say that unlike the control group, many individuals of multi-branched slate corals do not have enough energy to survive in combination with different climatic conditions. This may explain why it has a higher mortality rate than flattened corals, which in contrast can get more energy under future ocean conditions. There are small physiological differences between clumps of coastal corals that survive in control conditions and simulated future ocean conditions.
Their research suggests that the resilience of coastal coral species to temperature and acidification, and their role in reef building, gives reason to believe that some reef ecosystems may survive in the changing marine environment. (End)