Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8871904 | Marine Pollution Bulletin | 2017 | 10 Pages |
Abstract
Three to six-month-old juveniles of Acropora tenuis, A. millepora and Pocillopora acuta were experimentally co-exposed to nutrient enrichment and suspended sediments (without light attenuation or sediment deposition) for 40Â days. Suspended sediments reduced survivorship of A. millepora strongly, proportional to the sediment concentration, but not in A. tenuis or P. acuta juveniles. However, juvenile growth of the latter two species was reduced to less than half or to zero, respectively. Additionally, suspended sediments increased effective quantum yields of symbionts associated with A. millepora and A. tenuis, but not those associated with P. acuta. Nutrient enrichment did not significantly affect juvenile survivorship, growth or photophysiology for any of the three species, either as a sole stressor or in combination with suspended sediments. Our results indicate that exposure to suspended sediments can be energetically costly for juveniles of some coral species, implying detrimental longer-term but species-specific repercussions for populations and coral cover.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Oceanography
Authors
Adriana Humanes, Artur Fink, Bette L. Willis, Katharina E. Fabricius, Dirk de Beer, Andrew P. Negri,