Coral tissue depth reconstructed using skeletal microstructural offsets is driven by environmental stress
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Coral tissue depth reflects organismal health and is influenced by environmental stressors. Reconstructing its past variability on inter- and intra-annual timescales, however, is not yet possible. Here we reconstructed seasonal tissue depth by measuring spatial offsets between growth cycles in corallite porosity and theca geochemistry (Lithium/Magnesium and Barium/Calcium ratios) of a single Siderastrea siderea core collected in Barbados. We show spatial offsets and thus tissue depth vary systematically over multiyear timescales, with decreasing values associated with thermal stress that impact extension rate and calcification in subsequent growth cycles. Large environmental disturbances such as the 2021 volcanic eruption of La Soufrière (St. Vincent) also impact tissue depth, in this case likely due to the release of bioactive metals upon ash deposition. This study investigates the robustness of the offset signal within a single colony and with further validation across multiple colonies could help reconstruct regional to global environmental and ecological stressors.
Authors: James Vincent, Tom Sheldrake
Institution: University of Geneva
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life below water
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,490
OpenAlex ID: W7124829967