Long-term dynamics of a Cladocora caespitosa bank as recorded by a Posidonia oceanica millenary archive

Type Article
Date 2021-08
Language English
Author(s) Monnier BriacORCID1, 2, Lehmann Léa1, Sartoretto StephaneORCID3, Pergent-Martini Christine1, 2, Angel Mateo Miguel4, 5, Pergent Gérard1, 2
Affiliation(s) 1 : Equipe Ecosystèmes Littoraux, FRES 3041/UMR CNRS SPE 6134, Université de Corse, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Campus Grimaldi BP 52, 20250, Corte, France
2 : GIS Posidonie, Université de Corse, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Campus Grimaldi BP 52, 20250, Corte, France
3 : IFREMER, Zone Portuaire de Brégaillon CS 20330, 83507, La Seyne-sur-Mer Cedex, France
4 : Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones, Científicas, 17300, Blanes, Girona, Spain
5 : School of Science and Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, 6027, Joondalup, WA, Australia
Source Estuarine Coastal And Shelf Science (0272-7714) (Elsevier BV), 2021-08 , Vol. 256 , P. 107378 (15p.)
DOI 10.1016/j.ecss.2021.107378
WOS© Times Cited 3
Keyword(s) Posidonia oceanica, Cladocora caespitosa, Seagrass, Coral bank, Palaeo-ecology, Mediterranean Sea
Abstract

Along most Mediterranean coasts, the endemic seagrass species Posidonia oceanica builds extensive meadows and complex peat-like bioconstruction known as ‘mattes’. These belowground deposits are recognized as a valuable long-term archive allowing the reconstruction and the study of palaeo-climatic and palaeo-ecological changes in the coastal environment over the Holocene period. One of the P. oceanica matte cores sampled during a coring survey along the eastern continental shelf of Corsica Island (France, NW Mediterranean) revealed the unprecedented finding of a dead bank of the scleractinian coral Cladocora caespitosa embedded in the matte. Measurement of the morphological and biometrical features of corallite fragments coupled to biogeosedimentological analysis and radiocarbon dating contributed to provide a basis for the reconstruction of the stratigraphic sequence since the mid-Holocene (last 4750 years). The study of the sediment core enabled identification of three major phases: (i) the settlement of the C. caespitosa colonies (∼4750-3930 cal yr BP), (ii) the coexistence of the C. caespitosa bank and the P. oceanica meadow (∼3930-1410 cal yr BP), followed by (iii) the death of the coral bank and the development of only the P. oceanica meadow (∼1410 cal yr BP-present). The sclerochronological analysis completed on the well-preserved corallite fragments revealed that the mean annual growth rate of the coral ranged between 1.9 and 3.1 mm yr−1 with a mean value estimated at 2.3 ± 0.8 mm yr−1. Trend analysis showed semi-millennial to millennial oscillations in annual growth rates which are probably related to environmental climatic changes since the Cold Phase of the Subatlantic period (2925-2200 cal yr BP). During the Roman Warm Period (2200-1500 cal yr BP), the decline and the death of the bank (∼1410 cal yr BP) was probably due to the combined effect of a prolonged increase in summer temperatures and an increase in the competition with the P. oceanica meadow.

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Monnier Briac, Lehmann Léa, Sartoretto Stephane, Pergent-Martini Christine, Angel Mateo Miguel, Pergent Gérard (2021). Long-term dynamics of a Cladocora caespitosa bank as recorded by a Posidonia oceanica millenary archive. Estuarine Coastal And Shelf Science, 256, 107378 (15p.). Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2021.107378 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00691/80282/