A new conceptual model for the enhanced release of mucus in symbiotic reef corals during ‘bleaching’ conditions

Marine Ecology Progress Series

Scott A. Wooldridge¹ 

关键词: Coral bleaching;    Host release factor;    Photoinhibition;    Lipogenesis;   

DOI  :  10.3354/meps08310

学科分类：海洋学与技术

来源: Inter-Research

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT: Symbiotic reef corals exude large volumes of mucus when exposed to environmental conditions that challenge the integrity of the coral-algae endosymbiosis. Here, the physiological consequences of CO₂-limitation within the ‘dark’ photosynthetic reactions of the algal endosymbionts (‘zooxanthellae’) are investigated as the possible cause of the release of 2 different forms of mucus: mucus-polysaccharide and mucus-lipid. This mechanism may explain why the experimental addition of specific host-derived free amino acids (commonly referred to as ‘host factors’) enhances photosynthate release and carbon fixation rates from in vitro zooxanthellae. Furthermore, it reinforces the often-ignored importance of the coral host in maintaining the stability and functioning of the intact symbiosis in the face of environmental stress, even supporting the possibility that disruption to host-controlled processes ultimately triggers the breakdown of the symbiosis leading to the mass expulsion of zooxanthellae (‘coral bleaching’).

【 授权许可】

Unknown