Corals light the way to a healthy partnership
Corals know how to attract good company. New research finds that corals emit an enticing fluorescent green light that attracts the mobile microalgae, known as Symbiodinium, that are critical to the e
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au
The ‘double trouble’ scenario of elevated ocean temperature and acidity is becoming of increasing interest in the field of climate change research. Interestingly, events early in the life history of corals, prior to the initiation of calcification, such as fertilization, embryogenesis, larval survival and settlement are not overly affected by high acidity. However the possible synergistic effects of temperature and acidity have not been widely explored. Here, we tested the effects ocean acidification in combination with elevated temperature on early life history stages of several spawning acroporids from the Great Barrier Reef. I have structured my thesis into 3 hypotheses: 1) the effects of ocean acidification on the early life history stages of spawning Acropora sp. 2) The effects of ocean acidification and warming on the early life history stages of spawning acroporids and 3) The early skeletogenesis of acroporid recruits under near future acidification and warming regimes. We found no consistent effects of acid on fertilization, development, survivorship, metamorphosis and post-settlement growth rates, either alone, or acting synergistically with corals. And elevated acidity and temperature has no significant effect on the growth of new spat. In addition, a careful appraisal of the literature indicates that effects of acid are only apparent on unhealthy individuals or at unrealistically high levels. We conclude that near future ocean acidification levels is not an immediate threat to the early life history stages of Great Barrier Reef corals in the foreseeable future.
Corals know how to attract good company. New research finds that corals emit an enticing fluorescent green light that attracts the mobile microalgae, known as Symbiodinium, that are critical to the e
A study led by researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University found fish become anxious and more cautious when water quality is degraded by sediment, an e
Queensland’s coastal shark numbers are continuing a 50-year decline, in sharp contradiction of suggestions of ‘exploding’ shark populations, according to an analysis of Queensland Shark Control
The future of the world’s coral reefs is uncertain, as the impact of global heating continues to escalate. However, according to a study published today in Nature Climate Change, the response of the
Who: Julian Cribb Where: JCU HY002, UQ CMS Meeting Room When: Monday 20 March 2006, 11.00am-12.00pm
The Lizard Island Doctoral Fellowships Program provides financial support for field-intensive coral reef research at Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef by outstanding PhD student
Who: Go Suzuki, Kyoto University Where: ARC Centre of Excellence Conference Room, James Cook University, Townsville with video link to Centre for Marine Studies, UQ, Brisbane When: 1.00pm Monday 23
Who: Lead by Meir Sussman Where: ARC Centre of Excellence Conference Room, JCU, Townsville with video link to Centre for Marine Studies, UQ, Brisbane When: 4.00pm, Thursday 26 April 2007
Dr. Frank Thomalla is a Research Fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) where he leads the Stockholm-based group of the “Risk, Livelihoods and Vulnerability Programme” and at the re
Dr Troy Day is a theoretical evolutionary ecologist at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada (http://www.mast.queensu.ca/~tday/index.html). His primary research interests are in the evolution of in
Who: Lead by Dr Sophie Dove Where: Video link ARC Centre of Excellence Conference Room, JCU, Townsville and Centre for Marine Studies, UQ, Brisbane When: 4.00pm, Thursday 10 May 2007
Who: Lead by Professor Terry Hughes Where: Video link ARC Centre of Excellence Conference Room, JCU, Townsville and JCU Cairns, Room B1.108 When: 12.00pm, Monday 14 May 2007
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au