TY - JOUR
T1 - Light respiratory processes and gross photosynthesis in two scleractinian corals
AU - Schrameyer, Verena
AU - Wangpraseurt, Daniel
AU - Hill, Ross
AU - Kühl, Michael
AU - Larkum, Anthony W D
AU - Ralph, Peter J.
N1 - Copyright the Author(s) 2014. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.
PY - 2014/10/31
Y1 - 2014/10/31
N2 - The light dependency of respiratory activity of two scleractinian corals was examined using O2 microsensors and CO2 exchange measurements. Light respiration increased strongly but asymptotically with elevated irradiance in both species. Light respiration in Pocillopora damicornis was higher than in Pavona decussata under low irradiance, indicating species-specific differences in light-dependent metabolic processes. Overall, the coral P. decussata exhibited higher CO2 uptake rates than P. damicornis over the experimental irradiance range. P. decussata also harboured twice as many algal symbionts and higher total protein biomass compared to P. damicornis, possibly resulting in self-shading of the symbionts and/or changes in host tissue specific light distribution. Differences in light respiration and CO2 availability could be due to host-specific characteristics that modulate the symbiont microenvironment, its photosynthesis, and hence the overall performance of the coral holobiont.
AB - The light dependency of respiratory activity of two scleractinian corals was examined using O2 microsensors and CO2 exchange measurements. Light respiration increased strongly but asymptotically with elevated irradiance in both species. Light respiration in Pocillopora damicornis was higher than in Pavona decussata under low irradiance, indicating species-specific differences in light-dependent metabolic processes. Overall, the coral P. decussata exhibited higher CO2 uptake rates than P. damicornis over the experimental irradiance range. P. decussata also harboured twice as many algal symbionts and higher total protein biomass compared to P. damicornis, possibly resulting in self-shading of the symbionts and/or changes in host tissue specific light distribution. Differences in light respiration and CO2 availability could be due to host-specific characteristics that modulate the symbiont microenvironment, its photosynthesis, and hence the overall performance of the coral holobiont.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84909993418&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0110814
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0110814
M3 - Article
C2 - 25360746
AN - SCOPUS:84909993418
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 9
SP - 1
EP - 9
JO - PLoS ONE
JF - PLoS ONE
IS - 10
M1 - e110814
ER -