Ocean acidification
Acidified algae, not larvae, block coral settlement
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
Six weeks of ocean acidification on crustose coralline algae halved Acropora settlement, but larvae still settled on ambient-conditioned CCA even at low pH.
Key findings
CCA held at pH 7.5 induced only 12% settlement (about half of control). pH 7.9 and 7.7 were 20% and 24% below control. Ambient-conditioned CCA still induced ~31% settlement across pH. Acute larval OA did not block extract-induced metamorphosis.
Methodology
Authors pretreated CCA for 42 days at pH 8.1–7.5 (464–1638 μatm pCO2), then offered Acropora larvae those CCA, ambient-conditioned CCA at the same pH levels, or CCA extracts after acute larval OA exposure.
Limitations
Tank assays on two Acropora species do not prove reef-scale recruitment collapse, and they do not identify the exact chemical cue that CCA lost.
How this study connects
Role on claims
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This library holds 6 empirical papers on ocean acidification with measured outcomes rather than reviews.
Evidence for the claim as stated.
Six weeks of ocean acidification on crustose coralline algae halved Acropora settlement, but larvae still settled on ambient-conditioned CCA even at low pH.
Evidence for the claim as stated.
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