Production and respiration in the Red Sea coral Stylophora pistillata as a function of depth

Colony morphology, rates of production and respiration, translocation of carbon from symbiotic algae to host, and the daily contribution of carbon fixed by zooxanthellae to animal respiration demands (CZAR) in phenotypes of Stylophora pistillata from 3 and 35 m were compared. Corals from 35 m showed an increase in branch density, a decrease in zooxanthellae density, and an increase in chlorophyll a per algal cell when compared to colonies from 3m. These changes are explained as adaptations to limited photosynthetically active radiation at the deeper depth. Photosynthetic efficiency was higher at 35 m, as evidenced by a production rate 25% that at 3 m, but with light only about 8% that of shallow water irradiance. Respiration of deeper corals decreased by a half. A depth-specific respiratory decline was displayed by both the algae and the animal fractions. Decreased coral animal respiration appears to be a direct function of decreased photosynthetically fixed carbon availability, and to be an immediate response to daily carbon input. Decreased carbon availability to the host animal at 35 m was a consequence of both decreased net carbon fixation and decreased percentage of net fixed carbon translocated to the host. The daily CZAR at 35 m was less than half that at 3m. Mean CZAR at 35 m was 78%, suggesting that deeper corals have an obligate requirement for heterotrophically obtained carbon. By contrast, corals from 3m, which displayed a mean CZAR of 157%, appeared to be photo trophic with respect to carbon required for respiration. Altered trophic strategies with depth were confirmed by daily carbon budgets calculated for average size corals from both depths. Multiple correlation tests of all parameters confirmed the utility of expressing production and respiration measures in terms of unit surface area. However, significant correlations with other normalizing parameters were found, and their usefulness discussed.

[1]  Paul G. Falkowski,et al.  Fate of photosynthetic fixed carbon in light- and shade-adapted colonies of the symbiotic coral Stylophora pistillata , 1984, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences.

[2]  C. D’Elia,et al.  Nutrient uptake kinetics of freshly isolated zooxanthellae , 1983 .

[3]  P. Dustan,et al.  Depth-dependent photoadaption by zooxanthellae of the reef coral Montastrea annularis , 1982 .

[4]  W. Fitt.  Photosynthesis, respiration, and contribution to community productivity of the symbiotic sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissimA (Brandt, 1835) , 1982 .

[5]  T. G. Owens,et al.  Effects of growth irradiance levels on the ratio of reaction centers in two species of marine phytoplankton. , 1981, Plant physiology.

[6]  L. Muscatine,et al.  Estimating the daily contribution of carbon from zooxanthellae to coral animal respiration1 , 1981 .

[7]  W. Fitt,et al.  Effects of starvation, and light and dark on the energy metabolism of symbiotic and aposymbiotic sea anemones, Anthopleura elegantissima , 1981 .

[8]  T. G. Owens,et al.  Light-Shade Adaptation : TWO STRATEGIES IN MARINE PHYTOPLANKTON. , 1980, Plant physiology.

[9]  P. Davies.  RESPIRATION IN SOME ATLANTIC REEF CORALS IN RELATION TO VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION AND GROWTH FORM , 1980 .

[10]  J. Porter.  Autotrophy, Heterotrophy, and Resource Partitioning in Caribbean Reef-Building Corals , 1976, The American Naturalist.

[11]  Y. Loya.  The Red Sea coral Stylophora pistillata is an r strategist , 1976, Nature.

[12]  W. Wiebe,et al.  METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF CORAL TISSUE BIOMASS AND COMPOSITION1 , 1970 .

[13]  J. Marsh,et al.  Primary productivity of reef-building calcareous red algae , 1970 .

[14]  R. R. Strathmann,et al.  ESTIMATING THE ORGANIC CARBON CONTENT OF PHYTOPLANKTON FROM CELL VOLUME OR PLASMA VOLUME1 , 1967 .

[15]  Oliver H. Lowry,et al.  Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. , 1951, The Journal of biological chemistry.

[16]  P. Falkowski,et al.  Primary production and photoadaptation in light- and shade-adapted colonies of the symbiotic coral, stylophora pistillata , 1984, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences.

[17]  Paul G. Falkowski,et al.  Carbon budgets in symbiotic associations , 1983 .

[18]  P. Falkowski,et al.  Light-shade adaptation of Stylophora pistillata, a hermatypic coral from the Gulf of Eilat , 1981, Nature.

[19]  P. Falkowski.  Light-shade adaptation and assimilation numbers , 1981 .

[20]  J. Porter.  Primary Productivity in the Sea: Reef Corals in Situ , 1980 .

[21]  L. Muscatine.  Productivity of Zooxanthellae , 1980 .

[22]  A. Svoboda,et al.  OXYGEN PRODUCTION AND UPTAKE BY SYMBIOTIC AIPTASIA DIAPHANA (RAPP), (ANTHOZOA, COELENTERATA) ADAPTED TO DIFFERENT LIGHT INTENSITIES , 1980 .

[23]  A. Svoboda.  IN SITU MONITORING OF OXYGEN PRODUCTION AND RESPIRATION IN CNIDARIA WITH AND WITHOUT ZOOXANTHELLAE , 1978 .

[24]  J. Sohn.  Changes in morphology and abundance of Stylophora pistillata and Acropora variabilis (anthozoa, hexactiniaria) with respect to depth at Elat, Red Sea , 1977 .

[25]  D. Wethey,et al.  Habitat-Related Patterns of Productivity of the Foliaceous Reef Coral, Pavona Praetorta Dana , 1976 .

[26]  G. F. Humphrey,et al.  New spectrophotometric equations for determining chlorophylls a, b, c1 and c2 in higher plants, algae and natural phytoplankton , 1975 .

[27]  E. Drew.  The biology and physiology of alga-invertebrates symbioses. II. The density of symbiotic algal cells in a number of hermatypic hard corals and alcyonarians from various depths , 1972 .