Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Coral Ultrastructural Response To Elevated Pco2 And Nutrients During Tissue Repair And Regeneration, Dorothy-Ellen A. Renegar, Patricia Blackwelder, Alison L. Moulding

D. Abigail Renegar

Corals and coral reefs have recently experienced widespread decline attributed to anthropogenic pressure on reef systems. Studies have demonstrated that nutrient and pCO2 stress effect coral growth and calcification, but study of specific effects on coral tissue is lacking. The objective of this research was to examine wound healing in corals and how it is affected by exposure to elevated nutrients and pCO2. Coral tissue repair and regeneration during wound healing in Montastraea cavernosa and Porites astreoides were assessed histologically and ultrastructurally by examining colony fragments exposed to elevated nitrate, phosphate, and pCO2. In M. cavernosa, tissue repair was facilitated …