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Framework-Forming Scleractinian Cold-Water Corals Through Space and Time: A Late Quaternary North Atlantic Perspective

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Marine Animal Forests

Abstract

Framework-forming scleractinian cold-water corals, with Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata being the most common species, show an outstanding concentration in the North Atlantic Ocean. They are unique in their ability to provide habitats for other organisms ranging from micro- to mega-scale, and some species are even exceptional in their capability to shape the seafloor by forming large three-dimensional structures called coral mounds. Our understanding about the spatial and temporal distribution of cold-water corals and coral mounds and the environmental factors that control coral occurrence and influence mound development increased tremendously during the past 15 years. This synthesis highlights that: (i) species-specific environmental preferences and tolerances need to be considered when describing any coral distribution pattern; (ii) corals and coral mounds are linked to a complex set of multiple environmental variables that must work in concert as each variable might present a stimulator as well as a suppressor for coral occurrence and mound formation; (iii) environmental conditions for mound aggradation are more restrictive than those for coral occurrence; and (iv) the majority of environmental variables influencing the occurrence of corals and mound development are linked to distinct water masses whose characteristics vary with climatic fluctuations. Hence, regional coral distribution pattern and mound aggradation periods are in phase with these fluctuations, even though the specific environmental controls might vary from region to region. Nevertheless, certain data limitations and resulting constraints to generate generalized pattern regarding the climate-related spatiotemporal distribution of cold-water corals and coral mounds still exist and ask for more sophisticated future research strategies.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Regarding the terminology of seabed structures formed by framework-forming scleractinian cold-water corals, Roberts et al. (2009) proposed the following classification: a “reef” comprises a continuously deposited sedimentary unit, while a “coral mound” comprises several successive reef units. However, this classification suffers from the limited knowledge of the temporal evolution of most coral reefs/mounds. This is exemplified by Norwegian reefs, which were believed to exhibit a continuous formation since the onset of the Holocene, but recent chronological studies revealed a discontinuous development for some of them (e.g., López Correa et al. 2012). To avoid this nomenclature pitfall, all three-dimensional structures formed by cold-water corals are termed in the following coral mounds referring exclusively to their geomorphological sculpture disregarding their internal organization.

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Acknowledgements

In the first place, we like to thank all the numerous scientists, technicians, and students who made this review possible as they put much effort into organizing research cruises to the North Atlantic, collecting data and material from various coral sites and spending hours to analyze the obtained material. We kindly acknowledge the following people with whom we established a fruitful cooperation and/or profited from lively discussions during the last years: Dierk Hebbeln and André Freiwald (mentors of our early career); Boris Dorschel, Gregor Eberli, Cova Orejas, and Marco Taviani (who are heartily thanked for very helpful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript); and Lydia Beuck, Henk De Haas, Ben De Mol, Wolf-Christian Dullo, Markus Eisele, Timothy Ferdelmann, Jan Fietzke, Hiske Fink, Sascha Flögel, Anneleen Foubert, Norbert Frank, Naima Hamoumi, Katrin Heindel, Lea-Anne Henry, Jean-Pierre Henriet, Veerle Huvenne, Nina Joseph, Akihiro Kano, Anne Kremer, Claudio Lo Iacono, Matthias López Correa, Lelia Matos, Furu Mienis, Hans Pirlet, Jacek Raddatz, Murray Roberts, Andres Rüggeberg, Joachim Schönfeld, Andrea Schröder-Ritzrau, Rudy Swennen, Loubna Terhzaz, Mieke Thierens, David Van Rooij, Cees Van der Land, Tjeerd van Weering, Agostina Vertino, Laura Wehrmann, Andrew Wheeler, Paul Wintersteller, and Helmut Zibrowius (just to name some of them). This work contributes to the DFG-project Palaeo-WACOM (grant He 3412/17), the DFG-project Carbonate budget of cold-water coral mounds along a latitudinal transect (grant Ti 706/1-1), and Cold-water coral mound genesis: IODP Leg 307 and Pleistocene Mediterranean occurrences (grant Fr 1134/14-1).

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  1. MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Leobener Straße, 28359, Bremen, Germany

    Claudia Wienberg & Jürgen Titschack

  2. Marine Research Department, SAM – Senckenberg am Meer, Südstrand 40, 26382, Wilhelmshaven, Germany

    Jürgen Titschack

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  1. Claudia Wienberg
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Correspondence to Claudia Wienberg .

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  1. Inst. Environmental Science & Technology Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain

    Sergio Rossi

  2. LECOB / Ocean Observatory CNRS / Pierre and Marie Curie University, Banyuls-sur-mer, France

    Lorenzo Bramanti

  3. Dept. Marine Biology & Oceanography, Institute of Marine Sciences, Barcelona, Spain

    Andrea Gori

  4. Balearic Oceanographic Centre Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

    Covadonga Orejas Saco del Valle

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Wienberg, C., Titschack, J. (2015). Framework-Forming Scleractinian Cold-Water Corals Through Space and Time: A Late Quaternary North Atlantic Perspective. In: Rossi, S., Bramanti, L., Gori, A., Orejas Saco del Valle, C. (eds) Marine Animal Forests. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17001-5_16-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17001-5_16-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-17001-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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