New MARUM study: Food and oxygen have the biggest impact on survival
MARUM – SEA ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Cold water corals and species Lophelia pertusa in particular, is the architect of complex reef structures. They build the foundation of important habitats for deep-sea creatures to find protection as well as food in the structures. However, coral reefs are very sensitive to changing conditions. These include sea-water warming, acidification, reduced oxygen levels, and altered food supplies. For example, a change in any one of these parameters, as a result of global climate change, can affect the health of total coral reefs. Therefore, according to new research, it is important to understand exactly how these ecosystems respond to changes in the environment so that they can be more effectively protected in the future.
First author Rodrigo da Costa Portilho-Ramos of MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Science of the University of Bremen, together with his colleagues, examined sediments from six cold-water coral sites in the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean to identify key parameters that could cause mortality and subsequent proliferation of cold water corals. Information that provides insights into past environmental conditions is stored in these deposits. This fact allows researchers to determine when and why cold-water corals thrive. The authors point out that the results can also be used to show how corals might respond to future climate changes. The study analyzes changes in the most important environmental factors over the past 20,000 years, periods of global warming in general since the last glaciation, and compares them with the emergence of cold water corals. .
“We looked back to the past to understand how Lophelia pertusa Portilho-Ramos said. Coral species disappear or return to an area primarily when the food supply or oxygen content in the water changes. Coldwater corals feed on microscopic plankton and other particles transported by ocean currents. Water temperature and salinity have little effect on the mortality or proliferation of cold water corals. As Portilho-Ramos pointed out, “we therefore assumed that food supply and oxygen availability were the major determinants of the life or death of cold-water corals”. It is unclear what impact ocean acidification has in the long run as there is no paleontological indicator for this parameter.
Acting as ecosystem ‘engineers’, cold-water corals contribute significantly to the formation of deep-sea biodiversity hotspots. With their influence on food webs and nutrient cycles, their role as fish nurseries and their impressive biodiversity, cold water reefs provide important ecosystem services. For the continuation of these services in the future under the impact of climate change, the results of this study provide an important foundation for the development of knowledge-based management strategies for deep-sea ecosystems. so. They also contribute significantly to the goals of the Bremen Cluster of Excellence, which is dedicated to studying the ocean floor.
Original publication:
Rodrigo da Costa Portilho-Ramos, Jürgen Titschack, Claudia Wienberg, Michael Georg Siccha Rojas, Yusuke Yokoyama, Dierk Hebbeln: Key environmental drivers that determine the life and death of cold water corals over time. PLOS Biology 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001628
About MARUM:
MARUM provides basic scientific knowledge about the role of the oceans and seafloor in the Earth system as a whole. The dynamics of the oceans and seafloor significantly impact the entire Earth system through the interaction of geological, physical, biological and chemical processes. These affect both climate and the global carbon cycle, leading to the creation of unique biological systems. MARUM is committed to conducting basic and unbiased research for the benefit of society and the marine environment and in line with the United Nations’ sustainability goals. It publishes its quality-assured scientific data to the general public. MARUM informs the public about new discoveries in the marine environment and provides practical knowledge through dialogue with society. Cooperation between MARUM and companies and industrial partners is carried out with the goal of protecting the marine environment.
JOURNEYS
PLoS Biology
DOI
10.1371 / journal.pbio.3001628
ARTICLE TITLE
Key environmental drivers that determine the life and death of cold water corals over time
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