Noonan et al early successional coral reef communities and their metabolism under ocean acidification

Succession changes and metabolic rates from settlement tiles deployed along gradients of CO2 exposure at seep sites in PNG. The data is being used to predict the development of benthic coral reef communities under increasing ocean acidification. In December 2011, we deployed settlement tiles along gradients of CO2 exposure at seep and control reefs in Milne Bay, PNG, and monitored the developing communities on them. Successional changes were captured at two time points over 13 months, and whole-tile community meatbolism (photosynthesis, respiration, and light and dark calcification) was also measured after 13 months

Carbonate chemistry of the two study reefs - means over tiles

Carbonate chemistry of the two study reefs - mean values for each of the settlement tiles

Densities of coral juveniles

Densities of coral juveniles at Dobu and Upa Upasina CO2 seep and Control sites

Log ratios of responses of coral life stages to elevated CO2

Log ratios of responses of various coral life stages to elevated CO2, from this study and the literature

Substrata on settlement tiles

Substrata on settlement tiles including individual taxa of crustose coralline alga

Settlement no-choice experiments

Settlement rates of Acropora tenuis larvae from parents originating from high CO2 or control sites

Settlement choice experiments

Choice of larvae of Acropora tenuis to settle on settlement substrata from either High-CO2 or Control sites

Predictors of coral recruit densities on settlement tiles

Predictors of coral recruit densities on settlement tiles from Dobu and Upa Upasina reef

Survival of A.tenuis recruits in field

Survival rates of A.tenuis recruits after returning into field settings at variable CO2 concentrations

Carbonate chemistry of the two study reefs - means over sites

Carbonate chemistry of the two study reefs - mean values per site at high CO2 at the CO2 seeps, and their adjacent control sites