Future warming and acidification result in multiple ecological impacts to a temperate coralline alga
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Environmental Microbiology
ISSN
1462-2920
Volume
20
Issue
8
First Page
2769
Last Page
2782
PubMed ID
29575500
Publisher
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
School
School of Science / Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research
RAS ID
27534
Abstract
Coralline algae are a crucial component of reef systems, stabilising reef substrate, providing habitat and contributing to accretion. Coralline algae and their surface microbial biofilms are also important as settlement cues for marine invertebrates, yet few studies address the impact of future environmental conditions on interactions between coralline algae, reef microbes and settlement by larvae of marine invertebrates. We exposed the temperate coralline algal species Amphiroa gracilis to warming and/or acidification scenarios for 21 days. Algae became bleached but photosystem II function was not measurably impacted. Settlement by larvae of the sea urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma was reduced and the structure of the prokaryotic community associated with A. gracilis was altered. Coralline algae in ambient conditions were dominated by Alphaproteobacteria from the Rhodobacteraceae including Loktonella; those under warming were dominated by Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia; acidification resulted in less Loktonella and more Planctomycetes and a combination of warming and acidification caused increases in Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia and the Alphaproteobacteria family Hyphomonadaceae. These experiments indicate that predicted future environmental change may reduce the ability of some temperate reef coralline algae and associated reef microbes to facilitate settlement of invertebrate larvae as well as having a direct impact to algae via bleaching.
DOI
10.1111/1462-2920.14113
Comments
Huggett, M. J., McMahon, K., & Bernasconi, R. (2018). Future warming and acidification result in multiple ecological impacts to a temperate coralline alga. Environmental microbiology, 20 (8), p. 2769-2782. Available here
"This is the peer reviewed version of the following article:
Huggett, M. J., McMahon, K., & Bernasconi, R. (2018). Future warming and acidification result in multiple ecological impacts to a temperate coralline alga. Environmental microbiology, 20 (8), p. 2769-2782
which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.14113. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions."