EAPSI: The Effects of Climate Change on Coral Larvae in Relation to Coral Reef Connectivity

Bergman Jessica L, Sunnyvale CA

Investigators

Abstract

Ocean acidification, or OA, is widely recognized as a climate change-related threat to coral reefs. OA may affect processes related to the exchange of free-swimming coral larvae between populations on a reef, and existing research characterizes the importance of seawater flow in transporting these larvae among reefs in order to maintain biodiversity. However, less is known about the position of coral larvae in the water column and how this is affected by OA, representing a critical knowledge gap in evaluating larval dispersal and subsequent connectivity among populations. This project focuses on the behavior and physiology of larvae from a common coral and how these features will be affected by OA. The larger objective is to better understand how OA and climate change will alter connectivity among coral reefs and mediate changes in species composition. The research will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Saki Harii at Sesoko Research Station in Okinawa, Japan, as part of the Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus. This project elucidates the effect of ocean acidification (OA) on the early life stages of Pocillopora damicornis, a brooding scleractinian coral, and focuses on the behavior and physiology of their larvae in situ. The project employs a threefold approach that: 1) determines the location of larvae in the water column over a 24-hour period, 2) tests for an effect of OA on behavior of larvae in situ (i.e., position in the water), and 3) examines the effect of parent exposure to OA on larvae behavior. Dr. Harii has successfully conducted many experiments on brooding events, and her expertise will aid in the capture and transport of larvae to experimental in situ chambers. Additionally, the location of Sesoko Research Station will allow for future cross-Pacific comparisons of the physiological performance of P. damicornis larvae under OA, and will be integrated with ongoing experiments conducted in Moorea, French Polynesia, as part of a larger framework of collaboration between researchers in the United States, Japan, and Moorea. Expanding cultural relations between Japan and the United States through the exchange of scientific research will continue to strengthen the academic partnership between the two countries. This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.