Meeting Abstract
Lophelia pertusa, a cold-water scleractinian coral, acts as the foundation for deep-sea ecosystems throughout most of the world’s oceans, including the Gulf of Mexico. These organisms are under increasing threat due to anthropogenic intrusion into their natural habitats, including ocean change and hydrocarbon extraction. While there are numerous studies highlighting the variable effects of climate change and oil/chemical dispersant exposure on marine organisms independently, there are very few studies focusing on the cumulative effects of both climate change and oil/dispersant pollution together. This study implemented a series of multi-stressor experiments to assess the combined effects of variation in pH, temperature, and oil/dispersant exposures. Four separate experiments exposing L. pertusa colonies to various environmental conditions (pH: 7.6 & temp: 9C, pH: 7.9 & temp: 9C, pH: 7.6 & temp: 12C, pH: 7.9 & temp: 12C) and hydrocarbon exposure (oil only, dispersant (Corexit 9500) only, oil and dispersant combined) were performed. L. pertusa physiological response was directly assessed by recording polyp behavior, mucous secretion, and tissue loss at four time points during exposure and recovery. Under ambient conditions (pH: 7.6 & temp: 9C ) Lophelia pertusa’s average health significantly declined during 24 hours of exposure to dispersant alone, but remained relatively constant during exposure to oil or oil and dispersant combined. However, once in recovery, polyp health quickly returned to the pre-exposure health state. Observing the corals’ ability to recover after short-term exposures will shed light on their resilience and recovery potential in their natural habitat.
