Short-term metabolic stress response of the temperate cup coral Caryophyllia smithii to a simulated marine heatwave

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dc.contributor.authorBell, James J.
dc.contributor.authorHarman, Luke
dc.contributor.authorMcAllen, Rob
dc.contributor.authorWitting, Kea
dc.contributor.authorWood, Gabriela
dc.contributor.funderVictoria University of Wellington
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-13T15:50:01Z
dc.date.available2026-07-13T15:50:01Z
dc.date.issued2026-06-22
dc.description.abstractMarine 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.en
dc.description.versionPublished Version
dc.format.extent9
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleid128
dc.identifier.authororcidBell, James J.
dc.identifier.authororcidHarman, Luke
dc.identifier.authororcidMcAllen, Rob§0000-0003-0438-557X
dc.identifier.authororcidWitting, Kea
dc.identifier.authororcidWood, Gabriela
dc.identifier.citationBell, 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
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s00227-026-04888-5
dc.identifier.endpage9
dc.identifier.issn0025-3162
dc.identifier.issued8
dc.identifier.journaltitleMarine Biology
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0003-0438-557X/work/220589109
dc.identifier.startpage1
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/19061
dc.identifier.volume173
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
dc.relation.urihttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105042470605
dc.rights© 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/
dc.rights.accessrightsopen access
dc.rights.licensenameAttribution 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.statusPeer reviewed
dc.subjectShort-term metabolic stress
dc.subjectCaryophyllia smithi
dc.subjectSimulated marine heatwave
dc.subjectIrish coastal waters
dc.subject[BEES]
dc.titleShort-term metabolic stress response of the temperate cup coral Caryophyllia smithii to a simulated marine heatwaveen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)
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