Shifting roles of heterotrophy and autotrophy in coral energetics under varying turbidity

Anthony, Ken; Fabricius, Katharina

doi:10.1016/s0022-0981(00)00237-9

Cited by 560 publications

(483 citation statements)

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“…While most species appear to be sensitive, some corals occupying a wider physiological niche are considered to be more resistant to eutrophication and sedimentation. This resistance usually coincides with a higher trophic plasticity, which for example, can be found in Galaxea retiformis and Turbinaria mesenterina in contrast to Porites cylindrica and Acropora valida (Anthony and Fabricius 2000;Anthony and Connolly 2004;Houlbrèque and Ferrier-Pagès 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…The coral holobiont consists of the coral animal and endosymbiotic unicellular algae (zooxanthellae of the genus Symbiodinium) and is therefore potentially mixotrophic, subsisting to varying degrees on hetero-and autotrophy. Heterotrophy contributes most to the material needs (nitrogen compounds), while photoautotrophy contributes to the energy and carbon demand of the coral (Anthony and Fabricius 2000;Piniak et al 2003;Houlbrèque and Ferrier-Pagès 2008). The intense recycling and exchange of nutrients between the coral animal and the zooxanthellae make corals particularly adapted to life in nutrient-limited waters (Muscatine and Porter 1977;Furla et al 2005;Yellowlees et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The increased organic and inorganic nutrient and particle loads, turbidity and sedimentation rates may affect coral metabolism (Tomascik and Sander 1985;Telesnicki and Goldberg 1995;Anthony and Fabricius 2000). While higher concentrations of organic matter may be beneficial for some corals by enhancing heterotrophy (Anthony and Fabricius 2000;Ferrier-Pagès et al 2003), increased sediment loads have mostly been shown to smother, damage, or stress corals (Rogers 1990;Stafford-Smith 1993;Wesseling et al 2001). This is often reflected in increased respiration rates (Abdel-Salam et al 1988), decreased P/R ratios (Riegl and Branch 1995;Anthony and Fabricius 2000), decreased photophysiological performance (Philipp and Fabricius 2003), and/or decreased calcification rates (Cortes and Risk 1985;Rogers 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While higher concentrations of organic matter may be beneficial for some corals by enhancing heterotrophy (Anthony and Fabricius 2000;Ferrier-Pagès et al 2003), increased sediment loads have mostly been shown to smother, damage, or stress corals (Rogers 1990;Stafford-Smith 1993;Wesseling et al 2001). This is often reflected in increased respiration rates (Abdel-Salam et al 1988), decreased P/R ratios (Riegl and Branch 1995;Anthony and Fabricius 2000), decreased photophysiological performance (Philipp and Fabricius 2003), and/or decreased calcification rates (Cortes and Risk 1985;Rogers 1990). Increased particle loads may also enhance coral mucus production in response to particles settling on the coral surface (Stafford-Smith 1993;Riegl and Branch 1995;Brown and Bythell 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nutritional status and metabolism of the coral Stylophora subseriata along a eutrophication gradient in Spermonde Archipelago (Indonesia)

et al. 2011

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Coral responses to degrading water quality are highly variable between species and depend on their trophic plasticity, acclimatization potential, and stress resistance. To assess the nutritional status and metabolism of the common scleractinian coral, Stylophora subseriata, in situ experiments were carried along a eutrophication gradient in Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia. Coral fragments were incubated in light and dark chambers to measure photosynthesis, respiration, and calcification in a number of shallow reefs along the gradient. Chlorophyll a (chl a), protein content, maximum quantum yield (F v / F m ), and effective quantum yield (U PS II) were measured on the zooxanthellae, in addition to host tissue protein content and biomass. Photosynthetic rates were 2.5-fold higher near-shore than mid-shelf due to higher areal zooxanthellae and chl a concentrations and a higher photochemical efficiency (U PS II). A 2-and 3-fold increase in areal host tissue protein and biomass was found, indicating a higher nutritional supply in coastal waters. Dark respiration, however, showed no corresponding changes. There was a weak correlation between calcification and photosynthesis (Pearson r = 0.386) and a lack of metabolic stress, as indicated by constant respiration and F v /F m and the ''clean'' and healthy appearance of the colonies in spite of high turbidity in near-shore waters. The latter suggests that part of the energetic gains through increased auto-and heterotrophy were spent on metabolic expenditures, e.g., mucus production. While coastal pollution is always deleterious to the reef ecosystem as a whole, our results show that the effect on corals may not always be negative. Thus, S. subseriata may be one of the few examples of corals actually profiting from land-based sources of pollution.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%