Short-term metabolic stress response of the temperate cup coral Caryophyllia smithii to a simulated marine heatwave
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Date
2026-06-22
Authors
Bell, James J.
Harman, Luke
McAllen, Rob
Witting, Kea
Wood, Gabriela
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Published Version
Abstract
Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are increasing in frequency and intensity due to climate change, posing significant threats to marine biodiversity. While tropical coral responses to thermal stress are well studied, less is known about the responses of temperate, azooxanthellate corals to temperature anomalies. The aim of our study was to investigate the physiological response of the temperate scleractinian coral Caryophyllia smithii to simulated short-term MHW conditions in Irish coastal waters. Using a controlled laboratory experiment, respiration rates were measured in corals exposed to ambient (12.5 °C) and elevated (19 °C) temperatures over a 14-day period. A linear mixed effects model revealed a significant interaction between treatment and time, with corals under elevated temperature exhibiting a pronounced increase in respiration from Day 7 onward, significantly exceeding control values by Day 13. These results indicate a rapid metabolic stress response, suggesting that short periods of elevated temperature consistent with strong MHWs can disrupt physiological homeostasis in C. smithii. Our findings highlight the potential vulnerability of temperate azooxanthellate corals to climate-driven warming and underscore the need to include temperate coral species in climate impact assessments and conservation planning.
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© 2026, the Author(s). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords
SDG 13 - Climate Action , SDG 14 - Life Below Water , Short-term metabolic stress , Caryophyllia smithi , Simulated marine heatwave , Irish coastal waters , [BEES] , Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics , Aquatic Science , Ecology
Citation
Bell, J J, Harman, L, McAllen, R, Witting, K & Wood, G 2026, 'Short-term metabolic stress response of the temperate cup coral Caryophyllia smithii to a simulated marine heatwave', Marine Biology, vol. 173, no. 8, 128, pp. 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-026-04888-5
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