Effects of pCO2 on spatial competition between the corals Montipora aequituberculata and Porites lutea

We tested the hypothesis that ocean acidification (OA) affects spatial competition among scleractinian corals. Competitive ability was evaluated indirectly by linear extension of Porites lutea and Montipora aequituberculata placed in intraspecific, interspecific, and control pairings (paired with dead coral skeleton) and exposed to ambient (400 µatm) and elevated (1000 µatm) pCO2 in experiments conducted in Moorea, French Polynesia, and Okinawa, Japan. High pCO2 had no effect on linear extension of M. aequituberculata in Moorea, but in Okinawa, it reduced linear extension 37%; high pCO2 had no significant effect on linear extension of P. lutea in Okinawa. Much of the negative effect of high pCO2 on linear extension for M. aequituberculata in Okinawa was due to reduced extension in control pairings, with corals engaged in intra- and interspecific competition unaffected by OA. Linear extension of M. aequituberculata and P. lutea in interspecific pairings decreased relative to control pairings at ambient pCO2 by 39 and 71%, respectively, indicating a strong effect of competition on extension rates. These differences however disappeared at elevated pCO2 when the linear extension of controls was depressed. Together, our results show that OA can negatively affect the linear extension of corals not engaged in competition, as shown in the control pairings, and suggest that OA does not directly affect the ability of corals to compete with one another for space.

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Evensen, Nicolas R, Edmunds, Peter J, Sakai, Kazuhiko (2015). Dataset: Effects of pCO2 on spatial competition between the corals Montipora aequituberculata and Porites lutea. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.868434

DOI retrieved: 2015

Additional Info

Field Value
Imported on November 29, 2024
Last update November 30, 2024
License CC-BY-3.0
Source https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.868434
Author Evensen, Nicolas R
Given Name Nicolas R
Family Name Evensen
More Authors
Edmunds, Peter J
Sakai, Kazuhiko
Source Creation 2015
Publication Year 2015
Resource Type text/tab-separated-values - filename: Evensen_2016
Subject Areas
Name: BiologicalClassification

Name: Biosphere

Name: Chemistry

Name: Ecology

Name: Oceans

Related Identifiers
Title: Effects of pCO2 on spatial competition between the corals Montipora aequituberculata and Porites lutea
Identifier: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11512
Type: DOI
Relation: References
Year: 2015
Source: Marine Ecology Progress Series
Authors: Evensen Nicolas R , Edmunds Peter J , Sakai Kazuhiko , Edmunds Peter J , Carpenter Robert C , Evensen Nicolas R , Gattuso Jean-Pierre , Epitalon Jean-Marie , Lavigne Héloïse .

Title: Dataset: MEPS 2015: linear extension
Identifier: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/640126/data
Type: DOI
Relation: References
Source: Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office
Authors: Evensen Nicolas R , Edmunds Peter J , Sakai Kazuhiko , Edmunds Peter J , Carpenter Robert C , Evensen Nicolas R , Gattuso Jean-Pierre , Epitalon Jean-Marie , Lavigne Héloïse .

Title: seacarb: seawater carbonate chemistry with R. R package version 3.0.8
Identifier: https://cran.r-project.org/package=seacarb
Type: DOI
Relation: References
Year: 2015
Authors: Evensen Nicolas R , Edmunds Peter J , Sakai Kazuhiko , Edmunds Peter J , Carpenter Robert C , Evensen Nicolas R , Gattuso Jean-Pierre , Epitalon Jean-Marie , Lavigne Héloïse .