Marginopora vertebralis were collected during two subsequent years (2016, 2017) from Fantome Island, from depths between 1–3 m. Acclimation periods of 17 days (2016) and 4 days (2017) were allowed, prior to being included in the mesocosm experimental system. The experimental system included corals, sponges, echinoderms, seagrasses green alga along with carbonate sediment.
M. vertebralis specimens were stained for 24 h with a fluorochrome marker (calcein (10 mg/L-1)) prior to 100 –150 M. vertebralis specimens were placed into tanks of each mesocosm system.
Three replicate tanks of each simulated water temperature and pCO2 levels projected:
2050 (+1 °C and 670 μatm)
2100 conditions (+2 °C and 900 μatm)
control treatment ambient conditions
Experiment duration were 5.5 months (2016), and 4.5 months (2017), after which all living specimens of the adult population were collected, washed in freshwater, air dried and photographed under a fluorescent microscope.
Categorical reproductive index scores were scored on multiple occasions (2017): 0. no juveniles detected, 1. few present (<5), 2. some present (5–40), 3. many (40–100), 4. >100. And at the end of the experiment the total number of juveniles (<3 mm) and adults were counted, along with growth measurements.
Statistical analyses were performed in R where binomial models were used to test for significant differences in the probability of foraminifera reproducing depending on the climate change scenarios. For full details see the paper Reymond et al, (2022).
