Widespread oxyregulation in tropical corals under hypoxia. (June 2022) - Hughes, David J.
Abstract: Hypoxia (low oxygen stress) is increasingly reported on coral reefs, caused by ocean deoxygenation linked to coastal nutrient pollution and ocean warming. While the ability to regulate respiration is a key driver of hypoxia tolerance in many other aquatic taxa, corals' oxyregulatory capabilities remain virtually unexplored. Here, we examine O2 -consumption patterns across 17 coral species under declining O2 partial pressure ( p O2 ). All corals showed ability to oxyregulate, but total positive regulation (Tpos ) varied between species, ranging from 0.41 ( Pocillopora damicornis ) to 2.42 ( P. acuta ). On average, corals performed maximum regulation effort (Pcmax ) at low p O2 (30% air saturation, corresponding to lower O2 levels measured on natural reef systems), and exhibited detectable regulation down to as low as <10% air saturation. Our study shows that corals are not oxyconformers as previously thought, suggesting oxyregulation is likely important for survival in dynamic O2 environments of shallow coral reefs subjected to hypoxic events. Highlights: Respiratory responses of reef building corals were assessed under progressive hypoxia. Corals are capable of moderate oxyregulation despite their anatomical simplicity. Significant variability in positive regulation exists among reef-building corals. Oxyregulation occurs down to very low PO2 values (30% air saturation).