Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Acute And Sub-Acute Toxicity Of The Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon 1-Methylnaphthalene To The Shallow-Water Coral Porites Divaricata: Application Of A Novel Exposure Protocol, Dorothy-Ellen A. Renegar, Nick Turner, Bernhard Riegl, Richard E. Dodge, Anthony H. Knap, Paul Schuler

D. Abigail Renegar

Previous research evaluating hydrocarbon toxicity to corals and coral reefs has generally focused on community-level effects, and results often are not comparable between studies because of variability in hydrocarbon exposure characterization and evaluation of coral health and mortality during exposure. Toxicity of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon 1-methylnaphthalene to the coral Porites divaricata was assessed in a constant exposure toxicity test utilizing a novel toxicity testing protocol uniquely applicable to shallow-water corals, which considered multiple assessment metrics and evaluated the potential for post-exposure mortality and/or recovery. Acute and subacute effects (gross morphological changes, photosynthetic efficiency, mortality, and histologic cellular changes) were …