. Cold-water Coral Reefs: out of sight - no longer out of mind. UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Series 22. Cold-water coral reefs 3. Ecology Several important biological and ecological aspects of cold-water corals and of their habitats and where they occur have already been highlighted. Here additional infornnation on the productivity and resilience of cold- water corals IS presented with a focus on: â¡ depth range â¡ tennperature and salinity limits â¡ nutrition and food source â¡ growth rates and longevity â¡ reproductive and molecular ecology 1^ predation and parasitism of corals â¡ coral bioerosion
. Cold-water Coral Reefs: out of sight - no longer out of mind. UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Series 22. Cold-water coral reefs 3. Ecology Several important biological and ecological aspects of cold-water corals and of their habitats and where they occur have already been highlighted. Here additional infornnation on the productivity and resilience of cold- water corals IS presented with a focus on: ⡠depth range ⡠tennperature and salinity limits ⡠nutrition and food source ⡠growth rates and longevity ⡠reproductive and molecular ecology 1^ predation and parasitism of corals ⡠coral bioerosion. DEPTH RANGE Cold-water corals are frequently referred to as 'deep- water' corals, as most findings and observations of these organisms come from deeper water However, the term deep-water corals' can be misleading, as Lopheiia has been found in Norwegian fjords as shallow as 39 metres, and other cold-water coral groups have been observed in waters less than 200 metres deep (Figure 121. This indicates that hydrographic conditions and the geo- morphology of the seabed, combined with environmental parameters such as temperature, salinity and nutrient supply Isee below), are more important factors determining and limiting the distribution and growth of cold-water corals than depth ( hydrostatic pressure]. In high latitudes, these physical and environmental factors, and cold-water corals, can be found in relatively shallow areas, whereas in the tropics and subtropics these conditions generally occur at greater depths underneath warm-water masses. TEMPERATURE AND SALINITY LIMITS Knowledge of temperature and salinity limits for cold- water corals is incomplete. Historically, few relevant measurements have been made at coral sites, or they remain unpublished, and as yet the effects of temperature and salinity changes on coral ecosystems are not well understood. Lopheiia pertusa tolerates temperatures between A and 13°C (Freiwald. 20021. Studies from the Faroe-Shetla
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