Physiological parameters from a long-term multiple stressor aquarium experiment with the cold-water coral Desmophyllum pertusum

We conducted a long-term (6 months) multiple stressor aquarium experiment with the cold-water coral Desmophyllum pertusum (syn. Lophelia pertusa) under future environmental conditions. The experiment with live corals consisted of four different treatments to investigate the combined effect of ocean acidification, warming, deoxygenation and food limitation on their physiology: 1) control (9 °C, pH 8.1, 100 % oxygen, 100 % food availability), 2) multiple stressor with high feeding (12 °C, pH 7.7, 90 % oxygen, 100 % food availability), 3) multiple stressor with low feeding (12 °C, pH 7.7, 90 % oxygen, 50 % food availability) and 4) reduced oxygen (9 °C, pH 8.1, 90 % oxygen, 100 % food availability). Every treatment consisted of three replicate tanks with four live corals (treatments 1-4). The physiological parameters were determined after 1.5, 3, 4.5 and 6 months of the experiment. Growth rates were measured using the buoyant weighing technique (Jokiel et al. 1978) and respiration rates were conducted using closed-cell incubations.