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Biogeochemistry of Soft Corals and Black Corals, and Implications for Paleoceanography in the Western Tropical Pacific

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Biogeochemistry of Soft Corals and Black Corals, and Implications for Paleoceanography in the Western Tropical Pacific BIOGEOCHEMISTRY OF SOFT CORALS AND BLACK CORALS, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PALEOCEANOGRAPHY IN THE WESTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Branwen Williams, M.S. * * * * The Ohio State University 2009 Dissertation Committee: Approved by: Professor Andrea G. Grottoli, Adviser Professor Larry Krissek Professor Matt Saltzman Adviser Earth Sciences Graduate Program Professor Lonnie Thompson Copyright by Branwen Williams 2009 ABSTRACT Changes in the chemical and biological oceanography accompanying shifts in ENSO conditions in the western tropical Pacific are not well understood and this understanding would be enhanced by high resolution, century-scale proxy records spanning the euphotic zone. Soft corals and black corals are abundant in the western tropical Pacific from the near surface to thousands of meters deep, deposit organic skeleton in concentric bands, and live for hundreds to thousands of years. Geochemical measurements across colony growth axes can serve as proxies for the biogeochemistry of particulate organic matter (POM). Yet, proxy records from these corals in the climatically-sensitive western tropical Pacific have not yet been developed. Here, quantifying the natural variability in organic skeletal δ13C and δ15N values facilitated comparisons of skeletal records from multiple taxa across a depth transect within the euphotic zone. Similar δ15N values between black corals and soft corals collected from a reef offshore of Palau suggest these orders feed at the same trophic level while lower δ13C values in black corals than soft corals indicate a correction of +1.5‰ is needed to compare δ13C values between orders. In addition, due to chemical alteration of their food, suspended POM, with depth, a +0.25 ‰/10 m correction needs to be applied to δ13C values and -0.15 ‰/10 m correction needs to be applied to δ15N values to compare records from multiple depths. Stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) and trace elements (Br, I, Pb, Mn, Cd, Zn, and B) were measured in one Antipathes black coral colony from 5 m ii and two Muricella soft coral colonies from 85 and 105m, all collected offshore of Palau. Records were dated with a radiocarbon (14C)-derived chronology. The δ13C records decreased at rates consistent with the oceanic 13C-Suess effect, indicating anthropogenic carbon was a primary control on the δ13C of suspended POM through the top 105 m of the water. Very different δ15N records were derived from the shallow Antipathes colony than the deeper Muricella colonies. Since all three colonies fed on suspended POM in the water column, the dissimilar records indicated different controls on δ15N values of suspended POM within and below the mixed layer. While changes in the source of POM to the 5 m Antipathes colony with shifts in the relative strength of currents bathing Palau within the mixed layer may drive increases and decreases in shallow δ15N record, gradually decreasing δ15N values in both of the deeper Muricella records indicated a shoaling of the mean nutricline depth in recent decades. Three radial transects measured by LA-ICP-MS were only reproducible in the Antipathes colony, supporting these corals for trace element reconstructions. This research is the first to develop soft corals and black corals in the western Pacific as proxies of seawater chemistry across the euphotic zone. Together, these corals provide paleoceanographic information on annual to centennial timescale changes in seawater chemistry across the depth range from near surface to thousands of meters deep iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I sincerely thank my adviser, Andréa Grottoli. In addition to invaluable assistance in completing this dissertation, she showed by example how to run a lab, succeed as a professor, and perhaps most importantly, taught me to think critically. I thank my committee members. Larry Krissek provided endless into academic life, discussions on ENSO, and many opportunities to immerse myself in oceanography, in Ohio. Lonnie Thompson changed my way of viewing the world when he introduced me to the world of paleoclimatology, and somehow always found the time to talk science with me. Matt Saltzman very graciously joined the game halfway through. I also thank the School of Earth Sciences at OSU in general, who took in a biologist and turned me into a geologist. The support of a Canadian abroad by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada provided invaluable freedom to devote my energy to my dissertation research. I also received financial support from Geological Society of American, PADI Foundation, American Women in Science, and Friends of Orton Hall. Funding included the National Science Foundation to Andrea Grottoli. I could not have completed this research without the field, laboratory, and general assistance of many people. Pat and Lori Colin at the Coral Reef Research Foundation, Palau, were incredibly supportive of my work. I thank Yohei Matsui and all the members of the Grottoli lab, including those who came before me, for their assistance during my research. John Olesik and Anthony Lutton of the Trace Element Research Laboratory iv ensured I obtained quality elemental data. Tom Lippmann provided insight into data analyses. Ghaleb Bassam at GEOTOP-UQAM-McGill ran 210Pb analyses for me. A graduate internship at the National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry facility at WHOI facilated radiocarbon analyses and I thank everyone at NOSAMS, and especially Ann McNichol. Liz Birkos, Aron Buffen, Kelly Carroll, Sarah Fortner, Steve Goldsmith, Natalie Kehrwald, Stephen Levas, Ryan Moyer, Becki Witherow, and many other students in SES made Columbus my home, and SES a fun place to be. Anabelle’s company during early morning walks and bottomless cups of coffee at the Cornerstone Café increased my quality of life as a graduate student. Special thanks to the Canadians. My parents, David and Christine Williams have always encouraged me in my eccentric pursuits, including my dream of studying the ocean since my first visit to Florida when I was nine years old. I also thank my American in-laws who frequently checked in to see how I was doing. My grandparents, John and Evelyn Williams and Chuck and Joan Manley followed my progress along. Aaron, Liz and Bekah have always welcomed me home, and the Teeuwsens continue to be part of my family. Nina Klemm and Kate Sims kept in touch even when I was slow to respond, Benoit Thibodeau insightfully commented on my writing, usually with a few jokes thrown in, and Randy McNobb made sure I kept school in perspective. I also thank my academic mentors, and my friends, Mike Risk, Owen Sherwood, and Daniel Sinclair (really a Kiwi) all of whom introduced me to world of corals. This dissertation is dedicated to Erik, who showed unending patience and support. Thank you. v VITA 16 May 1980 ……………….Toronto, Ontario 2003 ..………………………B.S. Marine and Freshwater Biology, University of Guelph 2005 ..………………………M.S. Biology, University of Quebec at Montreal 2005-2006 …………………. Graduate Research Assistant, School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University 2006-2009 .…………………NSERC Graduate Research Fellow with foreign tenure in the School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University PUBLICATIONS 1. Williams, B., Risk, M.J., Ross, S.W., and Sulak, K.J. (2007) Stable isotope records from deep-water antipatharians: 400-year records from the south-eastern coast of the United States of America. Bulletin of Marine Science 81(3):437 – 447. 2. Williams, B., Risk, M.J., Stone, R., Sinclair, D.J. and Ghaleb, B. (2007) Oceanographic changes in the Gulf of Alaska over the past century recorded in deep-water gorgonian corals. Marine Ecology Progress Series 335: 85 – 94. 3. Williams, B., Risk, M.J., Ross, S.W., and Sulak, K.J. (2006) Deep-water Antipatharians: proxies of environmental change? Geology 34(9): 773 – 776, doi: 10.1130/G22685.1 4. Sinclair, D.J., Williams, B., and Risk, M. (2006) Trace element "Vital Effects" - a ubiquitous feature of Scleractinian coral skeletons. Geophysical Research Letters 33, L17707, doi:10-102932006GL027183. 5. Risk, M.J., Hall-Spencer, J., and Williams, B. (2005). Climate records from the Faroe-Shetland Trough using Lophelia pertusa (Linneaus, 1758). In: Freiwald, A., Robert, M. (eds) Cold-water Corals and Ecosystems, Erlangen, p 1097 – 1108. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Earth Sciences Area of Emphasis: Marine geochemistry vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Pages Abstract ................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. iv Vita .......................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ........................................................................................................... x List of Figures ......................................................................................................... xi Chapters: 1. Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 Significance ................................................................................................. 1 Background ................................................................................................. 4 Alcyonacea and Antipatharia corals ................................................
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