Compound effects of thermal stress and tissue abrasion on photosynthesis and respiration in the reef-building coral Acropora cervicornis (Lamarck, 1816)

Reef-building corals are threatened by multiple stressors, including rising ocean temperatures due to anthropogenic climate change, and tissue abrasion inflicted by increasing frequencies of recreational diving on tropical reefs. Both can impair coral growth and survival, but interactive effects of temperature and abrasion remain unknown. We conducted laboratory experiments to investigate the metabolic physiology of endangered Caribbean staghorn...