MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Scleractinia calcification data in support of Ginther, et al., JEMBE 2020

This study explored the effects of variation in seawater pCO 2 on coral calcification using experiments conducted over one month between 9 April 2018 and 18 May 2018.
Branches (~4-cm long) of Acropora retusa were sampled from colonies at 10-m depth on the fore reef of
Mo'orea, French Polynesia (17° 28′ 53.9004" S, 149° 49′ 50.5992" W).
We tested the hypothesis that depressed calcification caused by elevated pCO 2 (~1000 μatm)
is relaxed (i.e., calcification increases) upon return to ambient pCO 2 (~400 μatm).
Corals first were incubated in ambient or elevated pCO 2 for 19 days, with the result that
calcification integrated over this period was reduced by 31% under elevated pCO 2 .
The same corals were then incubated at ambient pCO 2 for 11 days, during which calcification
was independent of the experimental pCO 2 exposure history. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under
Grant No. OCE 16-37396 (and earlier awards) as well as a generous gift from the Gordon and
Betty Moore Foundation. Research was completed under permits issued by the French Polynesian
Government (Délégation à la Recherche) and the Haut-commissariat de la République en
Polynésie Francaise (DTRT) (Protocole d'Accueil 2005-2020). This work represents a
contribution of the Moorea Coral Reef (MCR) LTER Site.