title: Physiological Response of the Hard Coral Pocillopora verrucosa from Lombok, Indonesia, to Two Common Pollutants in Combination with High Temperature.
abstract: Knowledge on interactive effects of global (e.g. ocean warming) and local stressors (e.g. pollution) is needed to develop appropriate management strategies for coral reefs. Surfactants and diesel are common coastal pollutants, but knowledge of their effects on hard corals as key reef ecosystem engineers is scarce. This study thus investigated the physiological reaction of Pocillopora verrucosa from Lombok, Indonesia, to exposure with a) the water-soluble fraction of diesel (determined by total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH); 0.69 ± 0.14 mg L-1), b) the surfactant linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS; 0.95 ± 0.02 mg L-1) and c) combinations of each pollutant with high temperature (+3°C). To determine effects on metabolism, respiration, photosynthetic efficiency and coral tissue health were measured. Findings revealed no significant effects of diesel, while LAS resulted in severe coral tissue losses (16-95% after 84 h). High temperature led to an increase in photosynthetic yield of corals after 48 h compared to the control treatment, but no difference was detected thereafter. In combination, diesel and high temperature significantly increased coral dark respiration, whereas LAS and high temperature caused higher tissue losses (81-100% after 84 h) and indicated a severe decline in maximum quantum yield. These results confirm the hypothesized combined effects of high temperature with either of the two investigated pollutants. Our study demonstrates the importance of reducing import of these pollutants in coastal areas in future adaptive reef management, particularly in the context of ocean warming.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kegler
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Gunilla
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baum
authors.affiliation: Mataram Marine Bio Industry Technical Implementation Unit, Research Center for Oceanography, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Pemenang, Indonesia.
authors.forename: Lisa F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Indriana
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wild
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kunzmann
mesh_terms: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D057894:Coral Reefs; D005742:Gasoline / Q000633:toxicity; D006358:Hot Temperature / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007214:Indonesia; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000187:drug effects; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000633:toxicity; D012623:Seawater / Q000009:adverse effects; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000633:toxicity; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D005742:Gasoline; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C030641:alkylbenzyl sulfonic acid