When environmental factors become stressors: interactive effects of vermetid gastropods and sedimentation on corals

Zill, Julie A.; Gil, Michael A.; Osenberg, Craig W.

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2016.0957

i

When environmental factors become stressors: interactive effects of vermetid gastropods and sedimentation on corals

2017
By Zill, Julie A. ; Gil, Michael A. ; Osenberg, Craig W.

Details

Journal Title:

Biology Letters
Personal Author:

Zill, Julie A. ; Gil, Michael A. ; Osenberg, Craig W.
NOAA Program & Office:

CoRIS (Coral Reef Information System)
Description:

Environmental stressors often interact, but most studies of multiple stressors have focused on combinations of abiotic stressors. Here we examined the potential interaction between a biotic stressor, the vermetid snail Ceraesignum maximum , and an abiotic stressor, high sedimentation, on the growth of reef-building corals. In a field experiment, we subjected juvenile massive Porites corals to four treatments: (i) neither stressor, (ii) sedimentation, (iii) vermetids or (iv) both stressors. Unexpectedly, we found no effect of either stressor in isolation, but a significant decrease in coral growth in the presence of both stressors. Additionally, seven times more sediment remained on corals in the presence (versus absence) of vermetids, likely owing to adhesion of sediments to corals via vermetid mucus. Thus, vermetid snails and high sedimentation can interact to drive deleterious effects on reef-building corals. More generally, our study illustrates that environmental factors can combine to have negative interactive effects even when individual effects are not detectable. Such ‘ecological surprises' may be easily overlooked, leading to environmental degradation that cannot be anticipated through the study of isolated factors.
Keywords:

Agricultural And Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) General Agricultural And Biological Sciences Agricultural And Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) General Agricultural And Biological Sciences Agricultural And Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) General Agricultural And Biological Sciences
Source:

Biology Letters, 13(3), 20160957
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0957
ISSN:

1744-9561 ; 1744-957X
Format:

PDF
Publisher:

The Royal Society
Document Type:

Journal Article
Rights Information:

Other
Compliance:

Library
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha256:9dcbcced6e212562d8449862ee3d363d2275b9554001af2e895d9be31db930d8
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/55254/noaa_55254_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 255.29 KB ]

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