Water contamination reduces the tolerance of coral larvae to thermal stress

Negri, A.P. and Hoogenboom, M.O. (2011) Water contamination reduces the tolerance of coral larvae to thermal stress. PLoS ONE, 6(5), e19703. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019703) (PMID:21589934) (PMCID:PMC3092768)

Abstract

Coral reefs are highly susceptible to climate change, with elevated sea surface temperatures (SST) posing one of the main threats to coral survival. Successful recruitment of new colonies is important for the recovery of degraded reefs following mortality events. Coral larvae require relatively uncontaminated substratum on which to metamorphose into sessile polyps, and the increasing pollution of coastal waters therefore constitutes an additional threat to reef resilience. Here we develop and analyse a model of larval metamorphosis success for two common coral species to quantify the interactive effects of water pollution (copper contamination) and SST. We identify thresholds of temperature and pollution that prevent larval metamorphosis, and evaluate synergistic interactions between these stressors. Our analyses show that halving the concentration of Cu can protect corals from the negative effects of a 2-3 degrees C increase in SST. These results demonstrate that effective mitigation of local impacts can reduce negative effects of global stressors

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Hoogenboom, Ms Mia
• Authors: Negri, A.P., and Hoogenboom, M.O.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: PLoS ONE
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• ISSN: 1932-6203
• ISSN (Online): 1932-6203
• Published Online: 11 May 2011
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2011 The Authors
• First Published: First published in PLoS ONE 6(5):e19703
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher