Modelling coral calcification rates in Orbicella faveolata (Cnidaria: Scleractinia) using light attenuation coefficients in water (KdPAR)

IF 3 3区环境科学与生态学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Marine environmental research Pub Date : 2025-03-12 DOI:10.1016/j.marenvres.2025.107074

Gabriela Gutiérrez-Estrada , J.J. Adolfo Tortolero-Langarica , Juan P. Carricart-Ganivet

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Coral calcification represents a vital process within coral reef ecosystems, wherein reef-building corals contribute significantly to the physical construction and maintenance of the reef framework. The calcification process is related to the photosynthesis of endosymbiotic algae, where light plays a crucial role in coral energetic tradeoffs. However, local stressors have led to increased turbidity, subsequently affecting light availability, especially in nearshore reefs. This study proposes a light-driven model designed to predict coral calcification in Orbicella faveolata under different light conditions, using the diffuse attenuation coefficient in water (K_dPAR) as a predictive parameter. To determine annual calcification across different light conditions, we collected coral skeleton samples across depth gradients (∼5–38 m) at five reef sites in the Mexican Caribbean. Sclerochronological characteristics were analyzed through X-ray imaging and K_dPAR values were obtained using in-situ light measurements. The results indicate that as light PAR is attenuated with depth, coral skeletal density increases and extension rate decreases. Likewise, annual calcification also responds to the underwater light field. However, calcification shows a pattern that can be explained by a nonlinear Gaussian function and shows that 60 % of surface PAR is needed for optimal calcification. This function was used to predict annual calcification in different suboptimal K_dPAR conditions. This report presents the first model of annual calcification of O. faveolata using K_dPAR. The results provide significant ecological insights into coral calcification and underscore the importance of conserving optimal optical properties of the water column to sustain coral growth and provides a better understanding of coral distribution and their contribution to reef framework development across vertical gradients in the Caribbean region.

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来源期刊

Marine environmental research 环境科学-毒理学

CiteScore

5.90

自引率

3.00%

发文量

217

审稿时长

46 days

期刊介绍： Marine Environmental Research publishes original research papers on chemical, physical, and biological interactions in the oceans and coastal waters. The journal serves as a forum for new information on biology, chemistry, and toxicology and syntheses that advance understanding of marine environmental processes. Submission of multidisciplinary studies is encouraged. Studies that utilize experimental approaches to clarify the roles of anthropogenic and natural causes of changes in marine ecosystems are especially welcome, as are those studies that represent new developments of a theoretical or conceptual aspect of marine science. All papers published in this journal are reviewed by qualified peers prior to acceptance and publication. Examples of topics considered to be appropriate for the journal include, but are not limited to, the following: – The extent, persistence, and consequences of change and the recovery from such change in natural marine systems – The biochemical, physiological, and ecological consequences of contaminants to marine organisms and ecosystems – The biogeochemistry of naturally occurring and anthropogenic substances – Models that describe and predict the above processes – Monitoring studies, to the extent that their results provide new information on functional processes – Methodological papers describing improved quantitative techniques for the marine sciences.