Calcification responses of subtropical corals to ocean acidification: a case study from Sesoko Island, Okinawa, Japan

We investigated the effect of five levels pCO2-adjusted seawater (300 μatm [pre-industrial] to 1200 [near-future]) on calcification rates six coral species: Acropora nasuta, A. tenuis, Montipora digitata, Pocillopora damicornis, Porites cylindrica, and Galaxea fascicularis, which are common species in subtropical Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. In most species, declines were pCO2-dependent as previously reported. Responses lower pH significantly differed among common-garden tanks. Corals showed both linear non-linear responses a wide range pCO2, could be attributable physiological differences inter-species. Our results consistent with previous studies suggest that corals ocean acidification can vary species.