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1 INTERNATIONAL POSTGRADUATE CONFERENCE ON SCIENCE AND MARINE ENVIRONMENT 2021
st
(IPCoSME 2021)
“Environmental Sustainability Enhancement Through the Collaboration of Sciences”

RD-03

CORAL RESPONSE TO HEAT STRESS AND HYPOXIA

1
2
1
TARUN JAIN *, MATHINEE YUCHAROEN AND PIMCHANOK BUAPET

1 Marine and Coastal Resources Institute, Faculty of Environmental Management and Coastal
Oceanography and Climate Change Research Center (COCC), Prince of Songkla University,
Thailand
2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Coastal Oceanography and Climate Change
Research Center (COCC), Prince of Songkla University, Thailand

*Corresponding author email: jain.tj@gmail.com

Abstract: In recent decades, coral reefs have been suffering an unprecedented decline due to

environmental stress, especially climate change caused by natural fluctuations and

anthropogenic drivers. There is a lack of research in heat-stressed & hypoxic coral reefs and it
is urgent to figure out the extent of this problem and its potential consequences. This research

is required to investigate the physiological response of corals to dissolved oxygen
concentration changes and assess heat stress's synergistic or antagonistic effects with low

dissolved oxygen. Results from this research can help local management bodies predict the

consequences of warming and hypoxia, locate sensitive coral species, define measurable goals,
and timely deploy management strategies to mitigate local stressors and better plan restoration

activities. We measured the effects of hypoxia on maximum quantum yield of Porites lutea,
Acropora millepora and Pavona decussata during our preliminary experiment and found that

A. millepora was most effected by hypoxia compared to other two species with mortality

observed in 36 hours of treatment. The results from preliminary experiment and future
experiment designs are discussed for this conference.

Keywords: Climate change, corals, deoxygenation, heat stress, hypoxia

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