We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Response of the zooxanthellae of Palythoa caribaeorum (Cnidaria: Zoanthidea) to different environmental conditions in coastal and oceanic ecosystems of the Tropical Atlantic.
- Authors
Santos, Gleice; Amaral, Fernanda; Sassi, Cristiane; Schwamborn, Ralf
- Abstract
The present study tested the hypothesis that endosymbionts of the zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum show specific responses in cell density, size, and mitotic index (as proxy for cell population growth) under different environmental conditions (water depth, position within the reef and within the colony). Colony fragments were sampled at the nearshore coastal reefs of Porto de Galinhas and at the oceanic St. Peter and St. Paul's archipelago (SPSP), Brazil. At the coastal reefs, zooxanthellae showed higher density on the reef flat (mean: 2.99 × 10 cm) than at the back reef (mean: 2.07 × 10 cm). Zooxanthellae were larger at the center of the colonies (mean: 10.61 µm) than at the edges (mean: 10.11 µm), where younger polyps were found. At SPSP, zooxanthellae showed smaller cell diameters at 3 m depth, than at 5-15 m. Cell size increased with depth, thus enhancing the photosynthetic efficiency of colonies in deeper environments. Strategies and adaptations of these endosymbionts to environmental stressors are discussed. Symbiont distribution patterns shown in this study have fundamental implications for the monitoring of the health of tropical reef ecosystems.
- Subjects
PORTO de Galinhas (Brazil); ZOOXANTHELLA; CELL populations; PHOTOSYNTHETIC pigments; REEF ecology
- Publication
Helgoland Marine Research, 2016, Vol 70, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
1438-387X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1186/s10152-016-0454-y