Effects of sediment exposure on corals: a systematic review of experimental studies

Table 8 Summary of LOAEL (lowest-observed adverse-effect level) threshold concentrations and durations of coral exposure to suspended and deposited sediment

Sediment type	Coral response^*	Threshold^† concentration		Threshold^† duration
Sediment type	Coral response^*	Subadults	Adults	Subadults	Adults
Suspended sediment	Any adverse effect	10.0 mg/L	3.2 mg/L	1 h	2 h
Suspended sediment	Any mortality	30.0 mg/L	3.2 mg/L	2.5 days	14 days
Deposited sediment	Any adverse effect	1.0 mg/cm²/day	4.9 mg/cm²/day	3 days	12 h
Deposited sediment	Any mortality	8.3 mg/cm²/day	4.9 mg/cm²/day	3 days	22 h

Coral responses are distinguished between “any adverse effect” and “any mortality,” which are defined in the table footnotes. Subadults are coral gametes, larvae, and juveniles. Adults are reproductively mature coral colonies. All corals in this review are scleractineans
*Any adverse effect is defined as any response of a coral individual, colony, or treatment group that may negatively affect a coral’s fitness and/or survival. These adverse effects may include physiological changes (e.g., reduced growth or photosynthetic rates), bleaching, tissue necrosis, and colony mortality. Any mortality is inclusive of death of tissue or of the entire coral colony, and thus excludes sublethal coral responses
^†Threshold is LOAEL, lowest-observed adverse-effect level, based on the presence/absence of coral response

ISSN: 2047-2382