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Calcification in the staghorn coral Acropora acuminata: Variations in apparent skeletal incorporation of radioisotopes due to different methods of processing

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Abstract

Pieces of branch from the staghorn coral Acropora acuminata were incubated with 45CaCl2 and NaH14CO3 under identical conditions in the light or in the dark. Specimens were then processed in different ways. All specimens were placed in N KOH to digest tissues. Some were placed in KOH immediately after incubation; others were placed in KOH after 2 h washing, or after 2 h extraction with methanol-chloroformwater. Specimens were washed in running fresh water or running seawater; some were killed in liquid N2 before washing. Radioactivity associated with skeleton and tissues was determined. The method of processing profoundly affected the results. In dark incubations, there was up to a four-fold difference in apparent skeletal incorporation of 45Ca++ between average values obtained for the different treatments. For 14C incorporation, there was a difference of up to 2.5 times. In light incubations, skeletal incorporation of both radioisotopes showed a two-fold difference between high and low average values obtained for the different treatments.

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Communicated by G.F. Humphrey, Sydney

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Crossland, C.J., Barnes, D.J. Calcification 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). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392571

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392571

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