Sensitivity of Cold Water Coral Reefs (SHAPE)

Duration:

15.09.2019 - 14.09.2022

Project Description

Cold-water corals (CWCs) are found in cold and deep waters throughout the world’s oceans. They are capable of building large and complex reef frameworks which can provide habitat for numerous associated species, deeply influence sedimentological processes and persist for thousands of years. These functions are strongly dependent on coral growth and morphology, features that show high variability, presumably influenced by local environmental conditions. CWC phenotypic variability therefore has considerable ecological and geological significance, including the potential to aid in the characterisation of past CWC reef ecosystems and in the prediction of their fate under global environmental change. However, it remains incompletely understood, partially due to the limited accessibility of such deep-sea structures. Thus, the aim of the present project is to improve our understanding of phenotypic variability and diverse reef-forming potential of CWCs in relation to their environmental setting. The research focus is on Lophelia pertusa (Desmophyllum pertusum), a cosmopolitan species that represents the major CWC ecosystem engineer, especially in the Atlantic Ocean. Through various image analysis and morphometric methods, applied on a large Atlantic-wide sample collection (comprising skeletal fragments and underwater photos and videos), Lophelia’s growth and shape are investigated qualitatively and quantitatively at multiple levels of organisation and correlated to physical forcing factors. This will ideally provide a clearer picture of the sensitivity of CWC reefs to environmental changes.