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In this study, we explored plasticity of physiological responses of coral larvae from a reef in French Polynesia. The study was motivated by these questions: (1) what is the present-day exposure of Pocillopora damicornis to natural variability of pH and temperature on the natal reef?, (2) what is the response of P. damicornis larvae to conditions of decreased pH and warming, measured via two indices of metabolism - rates of oxygen consumption and citrate synthase activity?, and (3) are there differences in larval sensitivity to environmental change between cohorts that are released from adult colonies at different times? P. damicornis larvae were incubated for 6 hours in seawater containing combinations of CO2 concentration (450 and 950 μatm) and temperature (28 and 30C). Rates of larval oxygen consumption were higher at elevated temperatures. In contrast, high CO2 levels elicited depressed metabolic rates, most dramatically for larvae released later in the spawning period. Rates of citrate synthase, a rate-limiting enzyme in aerobic metabolism, suggested a biochemical limit for increasing oxidative capacity in a warming, acidifying ocean. Biological responses were also compared between cohorts, larvae released from adult colonies on the same day. The metabolic physiology of P. damicornis larvae varied significantly by day of release. Without adaptation or acclimatization, only a portion of naive P. damicornis larvae may have suitable metabolic phenotypes for maintaining function and fitness in an end-of-the century ocean.
These data are published in Rivest, E.B. and G.E. Hofmann. 2014. Responses of the metabolism of the larvae of Pocillopora damicornis to ocean acidification and warming. PLoS ONE DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0096172
