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Tropical crustose coralline algal community and individual growth responses to light and elevated pCO2

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Date Issued:
2015
Summary:
Crustose coralline algae (CCA) are important reef stabilizers and their susceptibility to anthropogenic climate change and ocean acidification (OA) is of concern. Ocean acidification effects on benthic algal communities were determined by the response of CCA, fleshy macroalgae and microalgae to the interaction of pCO2 and light. I examined if elevated pCO2 and light influences CCA dominance by assessing their growth, recruitment and calcification. Elevated pCO2 under natural reef diurnal CO2 cycles did not significantly affect CCA percent cover, calcification rates or survival of adult CCA lobes. No significant community pCO2 effects were observed, rather light controlled dominance. The percent cover of microalgae increased in highlight, while CCA increased in the shade. My results indicate that algal response to irradiance is a more significant driver of reef benthic algal change than pCO2 levels predicted for 2100; however, this conclusion should be corroborated in longer-term and in field experiments.
Title: Tropical crustose coralline algal community and individual growth responses to light and elevated pCO2.
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Name(s): Dutra, Elizabeth A., author
Koch, Marguerite, Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Department of Biological Sciences
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2015
Date Issued: 2015
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 49 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Crustose coralline algae (CCA) are important reef stabilizers and their susceptibility to anthropogenic climate change and ocean acidification (OA) is of concern. Ocean acidification effects on benthic algal communities were determined by the response of CCA, fleshy macroalgae and microalgae to the interaction of pCO2 and light. I examined if elevated pCO2 and light influences CCA dominance by assessing their growth, recruitment and calcification. Elevated pCO2 under natural reef diurnal CO2 cycles did not significantly affect CCA percent cover, calcification rates or survival of adult CCA lobes. No significant community pCO2 effects were observed, rather light controlled dominance. The percent cover of microalgae increased in highlight, while CCA increased in the shade. My results indicate that algal response to irradiance is a more significant driver of reef benthic algal change than pCO2 levels predicted for 2100; however, this conclusion should be corroborated in longer-term and in field experiments.
Identifier: FA00004365 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Marine algae
Algal communities--Monitoring
Coral reef ecology
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Links: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004365
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004365
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Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.