Abstract
Three common species of Hawaiian reef corals, Pocillopora damicornis (L.), Montipora verrucosa (Lamarck) and Fungia scutaria Lamarck, were grown in a temperature-regulated, continuous-flow sea water system. The skeletal growth optimum occurred near 26°C, coinciding with the natural summer ambient temperature in Hawaii, and was lowest at 21° to 22°C, representing Hawaiian winter ambient. Levels of approximately 32°C produced mortality within days. Prolonged exposure to temperatures of approximately 30°C eventually caused loss of photosynthetic pigment, increased mortality, and reduced calcification. Corals lived only 1 to 2 weeks at 18°C. The corals showed greater initial resistance at the lower lethal limit, but ultimately low temperature was more deleterious than high temperature. Results suggest that a decrease in the natural water temperature of Hawaiian reefs would be more harmful to corals than a temperature increase of the same magnitude.
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Communicated by J.S. Pearse, Santa Cruz
Contribution No. 504 of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.
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Jokiel, P.L., Coles, S.L. Effects of temperature on the mortality and growth of Hawaiian reef corals. Mar. Biol. 43, 201–208 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00402312
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00402312