Abstract: This study tested the physiological effects of elevated temperature （29℃， 31℃） and nitrate （NO₃^-） enrichment （0， 5， 20 μmol/dm³） on the brooded larvea of Pocillopora damicornis from Luhuitou fringing reef， Sanya， China. Results showed that warming and nitrate （NO₃^-） enrichment did not significantly influence larval survival rate and maximum quantum yield （Fv/Fm）. However， it showed a significant interaction between elevated temperature and nitrate （NO₃^-） enrichment on larval settlement. Nitrate enrichment acted synergistically with elevated temperature and it reduced the settlement rate of P. damicornis larvae. Furthermore， the effects of elevated temperature on dark respiration of coral larvae were also dependent on the nitrate concentration， where a 5 μmol/dm³ nitrate enrichment inhibited the stimulation of respiration with increased temperature. At the same time， 5 μmol/dm³ nitrate treatment enhanced the net photosynthesis with the ratio of photosynthesis to respiration （P_G/R_D） greater than 2， indicating a net accumulation of photosynthetically fixed organic carbon under 5 μmol/dm³ nitrate. Our results suggest that modest nitrate enrichment can mitigate the negative effects of warming on the metabolism of larvae in the stony coral P. damicornis， while high nitrate enrichment would exacerbate the larval settlement and population recruitment．