Long Term Ecological Research: Coral Reefs in Moorea, French Polynesia

Two of the most widely recognized threats to marine biological systems that result from increased levels of atmospheric CO2 are increased sea surface temperatures and its ?evil twin? ocean acidification (OA). A key question is how marine calcifiers, a taxiconomically diverse group including animals and algae with crucial ecological roles, are responding and will continue to respond to the inexorable changes in the inorganic carbon chemistry of our oceans. Considerable research effort has been undertaken and is currently being undertaken to determine the impact of OA on the calcification potential of marine calcifiers. The interpretation of the results from these efforts is complicated by at least two factors: the taxonomic diversity of marine calcifiers and the synergistic or antagonistic impacts of other environmental stressors and factors on calcification in these organisms. Accordingly, there is a strong need to synthesize research findings within an integrative framework. For this purpose, we propose to use Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory. DEB theory is a general, process-based modeling framework that integrates the impact of an arbitrary number of environmental stressors and resource levels on single output variables of individual organisms, such as growth, reproduction, respiration and calcification. Specifically, we will develop mathematical models describing the rate of calcification in calcifying individuals as a function of key metabolic processes, ocean carbonate conditions, resource levels and temperature. We aim at width by developing models that are general, i.e. they can be used for a wide variety of marine calcifying invertebrates and algae, and at depth by using parameter values of reef building corals to investigate model implications at the population and community level (through individual based modeling) and to generate predictions or hypotheses that may guide future experimental work. Although we target applications to reef building corals, our primary motivation is the development of general models describing the impact of OA in combination with other environmental factors on the calcification in a wide variety of taxa. Data to validate and parameterize our models will come from the literature, a modest amount of new experimentation, and research funded by a current award of two of the co-PIs Broader Impacts A coherent societal response to OA requires a rigorous synthesizing and integrative framework within which the growing body of scientific data on impacts of OA (along with other stressors and resource availability) can be evaluated. This project will develop theory for such a framework. The theory will underpin practical models that can support environmental management at local scales where multiple stressors operate simultaneously. This project capitalizes on the existing synergy among a group of 8 modelers, physiological and community ecologists, who have a substantial collaborative history within and outside the context of the Moorea Coral Reef LTER. The models will be used in the next phase of MCR research. There are detailed plans for training MS (California State University Northridge) and PhD (University of California, Santa Barbara) students in applications of DEB theory. These involve webbased teaching by the PIs and, for PhD students, participation in international courses and mentored project work. Students will have opportunities to interact with a very active network of European graduate students and post-docs, many in the marine sciences, who share ideas on DEB theory. There are additional distinctive educational opportunities deriving from the continuation of successful educational collaboration between the PIs at a research university (UCSB) and a teaching oriented, Hispanic-serving institution (CSUN). In the field, the Gump Research Station, where field operations for the Moorea Coral Reef LTER are conducted, interacts with the Polynesian community through the At?itia cultural center that provided a locus for educational activities.