Reviewing the Effects of Ocean Acidification on Sexual Reproduction and Early Life History Stages of Reef-Building Corals

Table 1

Published studies investigating the effects of ocean acidification on sexual reproduction and early life history stages of reef-building corals.

Species	CO2 or HCl (ppm)	pH	Temp °C	Exposure	Effect	Source
Oculina patagonica	Unknown	7.3, 7.6, 8.0, 8.3	17–30	12 mo	No effect on gametogenesis	Fine and Tchernov 2007 [51]
Madracis pharensis	Unknown	7.3, 7.6, 8.0, 8.3	17–30	12 mo	No effect on gametogenesis	Fine and Tchernov 2007 [51]
Porites astreoides	HCl (ambient, 560, 700)	7.8, 7.9, 8.0	25.4, 26.6	21, 28 d	Reduced growth (lateral extension); no direct effect* on settlement	Albright et al. 2008 [35]
Montipora capitata	HCl (ambient, +365)	7.8–8.2	Ambient	6 mo	No effect on gamete production	Jokiel et al. 2008 [50]
Pocillopora damicornis	HCl (ambient, +365)	7.8–8.2	Ambient	10 mo	No effect on recruitment or recruit size	Jokiel et al. 2008 [50]
Acropora tenuis	Unknown (ambient, 1000)	7.6	Unknown	2 wk	No effect on settlement; altered postsettlement morphology (i.e., malformation) of primary polyps	Kurihara 2008 [46]
Favia fragum	HCl	7.5, 7.9, 8.0, 8.2	25	8 d	Delayed onset of calcification; decreased primary polyp growth; altered crystal morphology and composition	Cohen et al. 2009 [36]
Acropora digitifera	CO2	6.6–8.0	26.8	Minutes	Decreased sperm motility at pH <7.8	Morita et al. 2009 [21]
Acropora palmata	CO2 (436–998)	7.8, 7.9, 8.0	28.0–28.2	50 d	Reduced fertilization (dependent on sperm concentration); reduced settlement (indirect effect*); reduced postsettlement growth (linear extension)	Albright et al. 2010 [28]
A. digitifera	CO2 (400–3585)	7.3, 7.6, 8.0	26.8	7, 10, 14 d	Reduced polyp growth and algal infection rates; no effect on larval survival	Suwa et al. 2010 [37]
Acropora tenuis	CO2 (400–3585)	7.3, 7.6, 8.0	26.8	7 d	Higher survival at pH 7.3 than pH 7.6	Suwa et al. 2010 [37]
P. astreoides	CO2 (330–923)	7.8, 7.9, 8.0	26–28	49 d	Reduced respiration of planulae; reduced settlement (indirect effect*); reduced postsettlement growth (lateral extension)	Albright and Langdon 2011 [38]
Porites panamensis	CO2 (487–1006)	7.8, 8.1	28.4–29.5	42 d	No direct effect* on settlement or survivorship; decreased calcification, exacerbated with 1°C warming; T, not CO2, reduced zooxanthellae densities	Anlauf et al. 2011 [90]
P. astreoides	HCl	7.2–8.1	28.5	14 d	Negative, nonlinear response of calcification (corallite weight) to Ω with significant decreases at Ω<2.5	De Putron et al. 2011 [39]
P. astreoides	CO2	7.6, 7.9, 8.1	29.4	14 d	Negative, non-linear response of calcification (corallite weight) to Ω with significant decreases at Ω<2.8	De Putron et al. 2011 [39]
Favia fragum	HCl	7.5–8.2	25	14 d	Negative, non-linear response of calcification (corallite weight) to Ω with significant decreases at Ω<2.5	De Putron et al. 2011 [39]
F. fragum	CO2	7.6, 7.9, 8.1	29.4	14 d	Negative, non-linear response of calcification (corallite weight) to Ω with significant decreases at Ω<2.8	De Putron et al. 2011 [39]
A. digitifera	CO2 (331–3100)	7.3, 7.6, 8.0	26-27	2 h–7 d	Decreased O2 consumption by planulae (not significant, but note power); reduced metamorphosis; no effect on survival	Nakamura et al. 2011 [69]

*For settlement experiments, “direct effects” refer to experiments that tested effects of acidification on larval condition (i.e., the ability of larvae to undergo metamorphosis). “Indirect effects” refer to experiments that tested effects of acidification on both larval condition and substrate community composition (i.e., the availability of settlement cues).