THE EFFECTS OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ON THE PRECIOUS MEDITERRANEAN RED CORAL

Bramanti L, Rossi S, Gouron M, Movilla J, Gori A, Martínez-Quintana A, Dominguez-Carriò C, Grinyo J, Lopez A, Pelejero C, Calvo E, Ziveri P.

Corallium rubrum (L. 1758) SUBCLASS: OCTOCORALLIA

ORDER: ALCYONACEA

FAMILY: CORALLIDAE

•  LONG LIVED AND SLOW GROWING

•  ENDEMIC TO MEDITERRANEAN SEA

•  BATHIMETRIC RANGE : 20M – 600M

•  HIGH ECONOMIC VALUE

HIGH ECONOMIC VALUE DETERMINED HARVESTING

WHICH BROUGHT MANY COASTAL, SHALLOW-

WATER POPULATIONS TO DEPLETION.

ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL VALUE

Madonna di Senigallia, Piero Della Francesca, 1470

Mazu, chinese Sea Goddess

SHALLOW POPULATIONS

• 20 – 50 m DEPTH • HIGH DENSITIES • SMALL SIZE • LOW COMMERCIAL VALUE • HIGH TOURISTIC VALUE

DEEP POPULATIONS

• MORE THAN 50 m DEPTH • LOW DENSITIES • BIG SIZE • HIGH COMMERCIAL VALUE • NO TOURISTIC VALUE

DIFFERENT POPULATIONS

BOTH KINDS OF SKELETAL STRUCTURES ARE MADE OF

HIGH Mg-CALCITE

AXIAL SKELETON AND SCLERITES

30  μm  

BOTH KINDS OF SKELETAL STRUCTURES ARE MADE OF

HIGH Mg-CALCITE

AXIAL SKELETON AND SCLERITES

Ω HIGH Mg-CALCITE < Ω ARAGONITE

30  μm  

TC  

TA   ATL MED

HIGH ANTHROPOGENIC CO2 CONCENTRATION PENETRATE IN DEEP SEA MORE PROMINENT IN NW MEDITERRANEAN

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: CARBONATE SYSTEM

Vichi et al, 2011. Climate dynamics

pH  

RED CORAL DISTRIBUTION

HYPOTHESES

BIOCHEMISTRY (metabolic cost)

EFFECTS OF LOW pH

BIOCHEMICAL BALANCE Carbohydrates, proteins,

lipids  

CALCIFICATION: Buoyant weight

TOTAL ORGANIC MATTER

SCLERITES morphology

GROWTH

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

•  2 pH LEVELS: 8.097 AND 7.808 •  FIXED 13 °C TEMPERATURE •  3 TANKS PER TREATMENT •  8 COLONIES PER TANK •  CONSTANT FLOW

!

pH = 7.808 pH = 8.097

•  CO2 AND AIR FREE CO2 BUBBLING •  GLASS ELECTRODES •  pH CONTROLLER •  DAILY CALIBRATION (BUFFER) •  MONTHLY TA ANALISYS (TITRATION)

SAMPLING

GROWTH •  CALCIFICATION: BUOYANT WEIGHT METHOD NORMALIZED BY INITIAL MASS

•  SCLERITE VARIABILITY: SEM OBSERVATION AND MULTIVARIATE ANALYISIS OF MORPHOLOGY (PERMANOVA)

BIOCHEMISTRY •  TOTAL ORGANIC MATTER: DIFFERENCE DRY AND ASH WEIGHT •  BIOCHEMICAL BALANCE CARBOHYDRATES (Dubois et al, 1956) PROTEINS (Lowry et al, 1951) LIPIDS (Barnes and Blackstock, 1973)

AREA PERIMETER

WIDTH LENGTH

CALCIFICATION RATE

pH  =  7.808  pH  =  8.097  

AFTER 314 DAYS CALCIFICATION RATES REDUCED BY 50% IN LOW pH TREATMENT (ANOVA P<0.01)

SCLERITE MORPHOLOGY

NORMAL ABERRANT

NORMAL ABERRANT

SPICULES MORPHOLOGY DIFFERENT OVER TREATMENTS(PERMANOVA P<0.01) PRESENCE OF ABERRANT FORMS ONLY IN LOW pH TREATMENT

AREA/PERIMETER RATIO WIDTH/LENGTH RATIO CIRCULARITY

AFTER 150 DAYS TOM SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN LOW pH TREATMENTS (ANOVA P<0.001)

TOTAL ORGANIC MATTER

CONTROL LOW PH

NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN PROTEIN, CARBOHIDRATES AND

LIPIDS. HIGHER VARIABILIY IN CONTROL

TREATMENTS

       PRO

TEINS  

     LIPIDS

 CA

RBOHIDR

ATES  

NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN PROTEIN,

CARBOHIDRATES AND LIPIDS (ANOVA P>0.05)

HIGHER VARIABILIY (CV) IN

CONTROL TREATMENTS

BIOCHEMICAL BALANCE CONTROL LOW PH

RED CORAL CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT

FAO  GFCM  MEETINGS  2011  AND  2012  

RECRUITS   YOUNGS   ADULTS  

SURVIVAL  RATES  

REPRODUCTION  

DENSITY  Santangelo  et  al,  2007.  JTB  

CLASS N° OF COLONIES SURVIVAL FERTILITY

FECUNDITY

SEX

RATIO N° OF

POLYPS PLANULAE

PER CAPITA PRODUCED

PLANULAE PER CLASS PRODECED

1 822 0,89 0 0,87 0,58 0 0,00

2 731 0,63 0 0,87 0,58 6,20 0,00 0,00

3 463 0,70 0,36 0,87 0,58 15,91 2,89 1338,86

4 323 0,52 0,64 0,87 0,58 31,06 10,03 3240,58

5 167 0,44 0,82 0,87 0,58 52,18 21,59 3605,88

6 73 0,29 0,97 0,87 0,58 79,72 39,02 2848,47

7 21 0,57 0,98 0,87 0,58 114,06 56,41 1184,57

8 12 0,33 0,99 0,87 0,58 155,58 77,72 932,65

9 4 0,75 1 0,87 0,58 204,24 103,23 412,91

SINGLE  MORTALITY  EVENT   HARVESTING    

MORTALITY  +  HARVESTING   PROTECTION    

POPULATION  DYNAMICS  MODEL  

POPULATION  DYNAMICS  MODEL  

SIMULATIONS  

Braman4  et  al,  2009.  Ecol  Mod  SINGLE  MORTALITY  EVENT   HARVESTING    

MORTALITY  +  HARVESTING   PERIODICITY  

RECRUITS   YOUNGS   ADULTS  

SURVIVAL  RATES  

REPRODUCTION  

DENSITY  Santangelo  et  al,  2007.  JTB  

CLASS N° OF COLONIES SURVIVAL FERTILITY

FECUNDITY

SEX

RATIO N° OF

POLYPS PLANULAE

PER CAPITA PRODUCED

PLANULAE PER CLASS PRODECED

1 822 0,89 0 0,87 0,58 0 0,00

2 731 0,63 0 0,87 0,58 6,20 0,00 0,00

3 463 0,70 0,36 0,87 0,58 15,91 2,89 1338,86

4 323 0,52 0,64 0,87 0,58 31,06 10,03 3240,58

5 167 0,44 0,82 0,87 0,58 52,18 21,59 3605,88

6 73 0,29 0,97 0,87 0,58 79,72 39,02 2848,47

7 21 0,57 0,98 0,87 0,58 114,06 56,41 1184,57

8 12 0,33 0,99 0,87 0,58 155,58 77,72 932,65

9 4 0,75 1 0,87 0,58 204,24 103,23 412,91

MANAGEMENT  AND  CONSERVATION  

•  Braman4  et  al,  2010  FAO,  GFCM  Transversal  Workshop  

•  Braman4  et  al,  2010.  NOAA  Technical  Memorandum  CRCP-­‐13      

•  Braman4  et  al,  2009  Interna4onal  Forum  on  Precious  corals.  

SIMULATIONS  

Braman4  et  al,  2009.  Ecol  Mod  SINGLE  MORTALITY  EVENT   HARVESTING    

MORTALITY  +  HARVESTING   PERIODICITY  

RECRUITS   YOUNGS   ADULTS  

SURVIVAL  RATES  

REPRODUCTION  

DENSITY  Santangelo  et  al,  2007.  JTB  

CLASS N° OF COLONIES SURVIVAL FERTILITY

FECUNDITY

SEX

RATIO N° OF

POLYPS PLANULAE

PER CAPITA PRODUCED

PLANULAE PER CLASS PRODECED

1 822 0,89 0 0,87 0,58 0 0,00

2 731 0,63 0 0,87 0,58 6,20 0,00 0,00

3 463 0,70 0,36 0,87 0,58 15,91 2,89 1338,86

4 323 0,52 0,64 0,87 0,58 31,06 10,03 3240,58

5 167 0,44 0,82 0,87 0,58 52,18 21,59 3605,88

6 73 0,29 0,97 0,87 0,58 79,72 39,02 2848,47

7 21 0,57 0,98 0,87 0,58 114,06 56,41 1184,57

8 12 0,33 0,99 0,87 0,58 155,58 77,72 932,65

9 4 0,75 1 0,87 0,58 204,24 103,23 412,91

POPULATION  DYNAMICS  MODEL  

SIMULATIONS  

Braman4  et  al,  2009.  Ecol  Mod  SINGLE  MORTALITY  EVENT   HARVESTING    

MORTALITY  +  HARVESTING   PERIODICITY  

RECRUITS   YOUNGS   ADULTS  

SURVIVAL  RATES  

REPRODUCTION  

DENSITY  Santangelo  et  al,  2007.  JTB  

CLASS N° OF COLONIES SURVIVAL FERTILITY

FECUNDITY

SEX

RATIO N° OF

POLYPS PLANULAE

PER CAPITA PRODUCED

PLANULAE PER CLASS PRODECED

1 822 0,89 0 0,87 0,58 0 0,00

2 731 0,63 0 0,87 0,58 6,20 0,00 0,00

3 463 0,70 0,36 0,87 0,58 15,91 2,89 1338,86

4 323 0,52 0,64 0,87 0,58 31,06 10,03 3240,58

5 167 0,44 0,82 0,87 0,58 52,18 21,59 3605,88

6 73 0,29 0,97 0,87 0,58 79,72 39,02 2848,47

7 21 0,57 0,98 0,87 0,58 114,06 56,41 1184,57

8 12 0,33 0,99 0,87 0,58 155,58 77,72 932,65

9 4 0,75 1 0,87 0,58 204,24 103,23 412,91

OCEAN  ACIDIFICATION  (BramanG  et  al.,  in  prep.)  

POPULATION  DYNAMICS  MODEL  

CONCLUSIONS

•  CALCIFICATION DECREASE BY 50% AFTER 314 DAYS EXPOSURE AT pH 7.8

•  SPICULES MORPHOLOGY DIFFERED OVER TREATENTS AND ABERRANT SPICULES ONLY SEEN IN LOW pH TREATMENT

•  DECREASE IN TOTAL ORGANIC MATTER AND HIGHER VAIRIABILITY IN PROTEIN, CARBOHIDRATE AND LIPID CONTENTS IN CONTROL COMPARED TO LOW pH TREATMENT SUGGEST LOWER METABOLIC ACTIVITY AT LOW pH TREATMENT.

•  RESULTS WILL BE USED TO PARAMETRIZE A DEMOGRAPHIC MODEL IN ORDER TO PROJECT POPULATION STRUCTURE OVER TIME UNDER OCEAN ACIDIFICATION SCENARIO

THANK YOU FOR THE ATTENTION

Lorenzo  BramanG  philebo@gmail.com