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Carbonate dissolution by reef microbial borers: a biogeological process producing alkalinity under different pCO2 conditions

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Abstract

Rising atmospheric CO2 is acidifying the world’s oceans, affecting both calcification and dissolution processes in coral reefs. Among processes, carbonate dissolution by bioeroding microflora has been overlooked, and especially its impact on seawater alkalinity. To date, this biogeological process has only been studied using microscopy or buoyant weight techniques. To better understand its possible effect on seawater alkalinity, and thus on reef carbonate budget, an experiment was conducted under various seawater chemistry conditions (2 ≤ Ωarag ≤ 3.5 corresponding to 440 ≤ pCO2 (µatm) ≤ 940) at 25 °C under night and daylight (200 µmol photons m−2 s−1) with natural microboring communities colonizing dead coral blocks (New Caledonia). Both the alkalinity anomaly technique and microscopy methods were used to study the activity of those communities dominated by the chlorophyte Ostreobium sp. Results show that (1) the amount of alkalinity released in seawater by such communities is significant and varies between 12.8 ± 0.7 at ΩArag ~ 2 and 5.6 ± 0.4 mmol CaCO3 m−2 day−1 at ΩArag ~ 3–3.5 considering a 12:12 photoperiod; (2) although dissolution is higher at night (~ 80 vs. 20% during daylight), the process can occur under significant photosynthetic activity; and (3) the process is greatly stimulated when an acidity threshold is reached (pCO2 ≥ 920 µatm vs. current conditions at constant light intensity). We show that carbonate dissolution by microborers is a major biogeochemical process that could dissolve a large part of the carbonates deposited by calcifying organisms under ocean acidification.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to dedicate this paper to our colleague and friend Marlin Atkinson who passed away in 2013. A.T. and P.C. conceived the experimental design. A.T., P.C., and A.C. collected samples and analyzed data. A.T. and P.C. wrote the article and A.C. gave assistance on figure preparations and for formatting. We thank the Plateforme Alizes (IRD Bondy) for SEM access and S. Pyneeandy for her help with measurements of biogenic rates on coral blocks. We thank the Center IRD in Nouméa for its support in the field. Finally, this work was supported by the French Ministry of Ecology (program ‘MIDACOR’, 2011–2014) and the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement. The funding sponsors had no involvement in the present study development (design, collection, analysis, etc.).

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  1. A. Tribollet

    Present address: IRD-Sorbonne Universités (Univ. Paris, UPMC-CNRS-MNHN), Laboratoire IPSL-LOCEAN, 4 Place Jussieu, Tour 46-00, 5ème étage, 75005, Paris Cedex, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre IRD de Nouméa, UMR LOPB, 101 Promenade Laroque, 98848, Nouméa Cedex, Nouvelle-Calédonie

    A. Tribollet

  2. UMR ENTROPIE (UMR450 IRD, CNRS, Université de La Réunion) UMR9220, Saint-Denis de la Réunion, France

    A. Chauvin & P. Cuet

  3. Laboratoire d’Excellence CORAIL, Université de La Réunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin, CS 92003, 97744, Saint-Denis Cedex 9, La Réunion, France

    A. Chauvin & P. Cuet

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Correspondence to A. Tribollet.

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Datasets are available from the corresponding author (aline.tribollet@ird.fr) upon reasonable request, while pending to be deposited on the SEANOE repository.

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This article is part of a Topical Collection in Facies on Bioerosion: An interdisciplinary approach, guest edited by Max Wisshak et al.

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Tribollet, A., Chauvin, A. & Cuet, P. Carbonate dissolution by reef microbial borers: a biogeological process producing alkalinity under different pCO2 conditions. Facies 65, 9 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10347-018-0548-x

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