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Multi-scale crystallographic ordering in the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa.

ABSTRACT: Lophelia pertusa is a widespread colonial cold-water coral which can form large three-dimensional habitats for benthic communities. Although it is known to construct an aragonite skeleton with optically opaque and translucent bands, details of its biomineralized structure are unclear. New crystallographic data obtained from Lophelia pertusa using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) reveal a remarkably high degree of multiscale self-ordering and provide unprecedented detail on crystallographic orientations within the coral skeleton. The EBSD data unequivocally demonstrate a self-regulated architecture across a range of spatial scales, resulting in a specific structure which contributes to the physical robustness of its skeleton and an evolutionary advantage in such habitats.

SUBMITTER: Mouchi V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5566427 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Multi-scale crystallographic ordering in the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa.

Mouchi Vincent V Vonlanthen Pierre P Verrecchia Eric P EP Crowley Quentin G QG

Scientific reports 20170821 1

Lophelia pertusa is a widespread colonial cold-water coral which can form large three-dimensional habitats for benthic communities. Although it is known to construct an aragonite skeleton with optically opaque and translucent bands, details of its biomineralized structure are unclear. New crystallographic data obtained from Lophelia pertusa using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) reveal a remarkably high degree of multiscale self-ordering and provide unprecedented detail on crystallographi ...[more]

PMID: 28827749

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Project description:Lophelia pertusa is the dominant reef-building organism of cold-water coral reefs, and is known to produce significant amounts of mucus, which could involve an important metabolic cost. Mucus is involved in particle removal and feeding processes, yet the triggers and dynamics of mucus production are currently still poorly described because the existing tools to study these processes are not appropriate. Using a novel microscopic technique-digital holographic microscopy (DHM)-we studied the mucus release of L. pertusa under various experimental conditions. DHM technology permits ?m-scale observations and allows the visualization of transparent mucoid substances in real time without staining. Fragments of L. pertusa were first maintained in flow-through chambers without stressors and imaged with DHM, then exposed to various stressors (suspended particles, particulate food and air exposure) and re-imaged. Under non-stressed conditions no release of mucus was observed, whilst mucus strings and sheaths were produced in response to suspended particles (activated charcoal and drill cuttings sediment) i.e. in a stressed condition. Mucus strings and so-called 'string balls' were also observed in response to exposure to particulate food (brine shrimp Artemia salina). Upon air-exposure, mucus production was clearly visible once the fragments were returned to the flow chamber. Distinct optical properties such as optical path length difference (OPD) were measured with DHM in response to the various stimuli suggesting that different mucus types are produced by L. pertusa. Mucus produced to reject particles is similar in refractive index to the surrounding seawater, suggesting that the energy content of this mucus is low. In contrast, mucus produced in response to either food particle addition or air exposure had a higher refractive index, suggesting a higher metabolic investment in the production of these mucoid substances. This paper shows for the first time the potential of DHM technology for the detection, characterization and quantification of mucus production through OPD measurements in L. pertusa.

Project description:Coral reef resilience depends on the balance between carbonate precipitation, leading to reef growth, and carbonate degradation, for example, through bioerosion. Changes in environmental conditions are likely to affect the two processes differently, thereby shifting the balance between reef growth and degradation. In cold-water corals estimates of accretion-erosion processes in their natural habitat are scarce and solely live coral growth rates were studied with regard to future environmental changes in the laboratory so far, limiting our ability to assess the potential of cold-water coral reef ecosystems to cope with environmental changes. In the present study, growth rates of the two predominant colour morphotypes of live Lophelia pertusa as well as bioerosion rates of dead coral framework were assessed in different environmental settings in Norwegian cold-water coral reefs in a 1-year in situ experiment. Net growth (in weight gain and linear extension) of live L. pertusa was in the lower range of previous estimates and did not significantly differ between inshore (fjord) and offshore (open shelf) habitats. However, slightly higher net growth rates were obtained inshore. Bioerosion rates were significantly higher on-reef in the fjord compared to off-reef deployments in- and offshore. Besides, on-reef coral fragments yielded a broader range of individual growth and bioerosion rates, indicating higher turnover in live reef structures than off-reef with regard to accretion-bioerosion processes. Moreover, if the higher variation in growth rates represents a greater variance in (genetic) adaptations to natural environmental variability in the fjord, inshore reefs could possibly benefit under future ocean change compared to offshore reefs. Although not significantly different due to high variances between replicates, growth rates of orange branches were consistently higher at all sites, while mortality was statistically significantly lower, potentially indicating higher stress-resistance than the less pigmented white phenotype. Comparing the here measured rates of net accretion of live corals (regardless of colour morphotype) with net erosion of dead coral framework gives a first estimate of the dimensions of both processes in natural cold-water coral habitats, indicating that calcium carbonate loss through bioerosion amounts to one fifth to one sixth of the production rates by coral calcification (disregarding accretion processes of other organisms and proportion of live and dead coral framework in a reef). With regard to likely accelerating bioerosion and diminishing growth rates of corals under ocean acidification, the balance of reef accretion and degradation may be shifted towards higher biogenic dissolution in the future.

Dataset Information

Multi-scale crystallographic ordering in the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa.

Publications

Multi-scale crystallographic ordering in the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa.

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