Abstract
Four colonies of Acropora formosa were incubate with Na2 14CO3 for separate 2 h periods within a 24 h period, and then returned to the reef from which they were collected. Terminal branches were collected at intervals over the following 5 d and analysed for radioactivity associated with the skeleton and certain organic pools. Colonies incubated at night showed little or no loss of fixed radioactivity during the 5 d on the reef. However, 50–60% of photosynthetically-fixed 14C was lost from the terminal branches during the first 40 h on the reef. This loss of radioactivity probably resulted from release of mucus and dissolved organic carbon from the coral tissues. Most of the loss of photosynthetically-fixed 14C was due to decrease in the radioactivity of lipids (80% of the total 14C loss) and methanol-water soluble compounds. Determination of any sequencing in metabolic compartments was made difficult by the rapidity with which 14C dissappeared from most of the metabolic pools measured. 14C was incorporated into the skeleton throughout the 5 d on the reef, although the rate of incorporation was very low in colonies which had been incubated with Na2 14CO3 at night.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Barnes, D.J. and C.J. Crossland: Urease activity in the Staghorn Coral, Acropora acuminata. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 55B, 371–376 (1976)
Barnes, D.J. and C.J. Crossland: Coral calcification: sources of error in radioisotope techniques. Mar. Biol. 42, 119–129 (1977)
Barnes, D.J. and C.J. Crossland: Diurnal productivity and apparent 14C-calcification in the Staghorn Coral, Acropora acuminata. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 59A, 133–138 (1978)
Barnes, D.J. and D.L. Taylor: In situ studies of calcification and photosynthetic carbon fixation in the coral Montastrea annularis. Helogländer wiss. Meeresunters. 24, 284–291 (1973)
Benson, A. A. and L. Muscatine: Wax in coral mucus: energy transfer from corals to reef fishes. Limnol. Oceanogr. 19, 810–814 (1974)
Bieleski, R.L. and N.A. Turner: Separation and estimation of amino acids in crude plant extracts by thin-layer electrophoresis and chromatography. Analyt. Biochem. 17, 278–293 (1966)
Buddemeier, R.W. and R.A. Kinzie, III: Coral growth. Oceangr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 14, 183–225 (1976)
Chalker, B.E.: Daily variation in the calcification capacity of Acropora cervicornis. In: Proc. 3rd International Coral Reef Symposium pp 418–423. University of Miami (1977)
Coles, S.L. and R. Strathmann: Observations on coral mucus “flocs” and their potential trophic significance. Limnol. Oceanogr. 18, 673–678 (1973)
Cooksey, K.E. and B. Cooksey: Turnover of photosynthetically fixed carbon in reef corals. Mar. Biol. 15, 289–292 (1972)
Crossland, C.J. and D.J. Barnes: Calicification in the Staghorn Coral Acropora acuminata: variations in apparent skeletal incorporation of radioisotopes due to different methods of processing. Mar. Biol. 43, 57–62 (1977)
Crossland, C.J. and D.J. Barnes: Fixation and distribution of 14C in the Staghorn Coral, Acropora acuminata. I. Diurnal variation (In preparation)
Crossland, C.J., D.J. Barnes and M.A. Borowitzka: Diurnal lipid and mucus production in the Staghorn Coral, Acropora acuminata. Mar. Biol. (In press)
Goreau, T.F., N.I. Goreau and C.M. Yonge: Reef corals: autotrophs or heterotrophs? Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 141, 247–260 (1971)
Johannes, R.E.: Ecology of organic aggregates in the vicinity of a coral reef. Limnol. Oceanogr. 12, 189–195 (1967)
Lowry, O.H., N.J. Rosebrough, A.L. Farr and R.J. Randall: Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J. biol. Chem. 193, 265–275 (1951)
Muscatine, L.: Nutrition of corals. In: Biology and geology of coral reefs, Vol. II: Biology I, pp 77–115, Ed. by O.A. Jones and R. Endean. New York and London: Academic Press (1973)
Muscatine, L.: Endosymbiosis of cnidarians and algae. In: Coelenterate biology, reviews and new perspectives, pp 359–394. Ed. by L. Muscatine and H.M. Lenhoff. New York and London: Academic Press (1974)
Muscatine, L. and E. Cernichiari: Assimilation of photosynthetic products of zooxanthellae by a reef coral. Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 137, 506–523 (1969)
Muscatine, L. and J.W. Porter: Reef corals: mutualistic symbioses adapted to nutrient-poor environments. BioScience 27, 454–460 (1977)
Patton, J.W., S. Abraham and A.A. Benson: Lipogenesis in the intact coral Pocillopora capitata and its isolated zooxanthellae: evidence for a light-driven carbon cycle between symbiont and host. Mar. Biol. 44, 235–247 (1977)
Pearse, V.B. and L. Muscatine: Role of symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) in coral calcification. Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 141, 350–363 (1971)
Schmitz, K. and B.P. Kremer: Carbon fixation and analysis of assimilates in a coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis. Mar. Biol. 42, 305–313 (1977)
Smith, D.F. and W.J. Wiebe: Constant release of photosynthate from marine phytoplankton. Appl. environ. Microbiol. 32, 72–79 (1976)
Taylor, D.L.: Symbiotic pathways of carbon in coral reef ecosystems. Helgoländer wiss. Meeresunters. 24, 276–283 (1973a)
Taylor, D.L.: The cellular interactions of algal-invertebrate symbiosis. Adv. mar. Biol. 11, 1–56 (1973b)
Trench, R.K.: The physiology and biochemistry of zooxanthellae symbiotic with marine coelenterates. I. The assimilation of photosynthetic products of zooxanthellae by two marine coelenterates. Proc. R. Soc. (Ser. B) 177, 225–235 (1971)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by G.F. Humphrey, Sydney
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Crossland, C.J., Barnes, D.J., Cox, T. et al. Compartmentation and turnover of organic carbon in the Staghorn coral Acropora formosa . Mar. Biol. 59, 181–187 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00396866
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00396866