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Science 30 March 2007:
Vol. 315. no. 5820, p. 1811
DOI: 10.1126/science.1137094
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Brevia

Scleractinian Coral Species Survive and Recover from Decalcification

Maoz Fine1,3* and Dan Tchernov2,3

Anthropogenic-driven accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and projected ocean acidification have raised concerns regarding the eventual impact on coral reefs. This study demonstrates that skeleton-producing corals grown in acidified experimental conditions are able to sustain basic life functions, including reproductive ability, in a sea anemone-like form and will resume skeleton building when reintroduced to normal modern marine conditions. These results support the existence of physiological refugia, allowing corals to alternate between nonfossilizing soft-body ecophenotypes and fossilizing skeletal forms in response to changes in ocean chemistry. This refugia, however, does not undermine the threats to reef ecosystems in a high carbon dioxide world.

1 Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 52900, Israel.
2 Department of Evolution, Systematics, and Ecology, Hebrew University, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
3 Interuniversity Institute for Marine Science, Eilat 88103, Israel.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: finema{at}mail.biu.ac.il

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