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MEPS 256:287-291 (2003)
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Abstract
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Water flow facilitates recovery from bleaching in the coral Stylophora pistillata
T. Nakamura1, H. Yamasaki1, R. van Woesik2,*
1Laboratory of Cell and Functional Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Senbaru 1, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
2Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 West University Boulevard, Melbourne, Florida 32901-6975, USA
*Corresponding author. Email: rvw@fit.edu
ABSTRACT: Exposing partially bleached samples of Stylophora pistillata coral colonies to controlled water-flow treatments revealed differential recovery rates that varied in accordance with flow rate. Recovery of the number of zooxanthellae per
unit area and chlorophyll a concentrations increased rapidly in moderate-flow treatments (of 20 cm s-1), after an initial 3 wk of stasis. Colonies in low-flow treatments (≤3 cm s-1) remained pale for the entire 7 wk
experimental period and showed only slight increases in zooxanthellae per unit area. In an earlier study, we showed that when corals were subjected to high temperature and high irradiance, coral bleaching occurred in low-flow but not in moderate-flow
treatments; the present study shows that recovery from bleaching is facilitated by flow treatment. In combination, prevention of and rapid recovery from bleaching by enhanced water flow suggest that the mechanisms that lead to dysfunction of the
algae-coral symbiosis are driven by mass-transfer-limited processes.
KEY WORDS: Corals · Bleaching · Water flow · Recovery
Full text in pdf format
Published in MEPS Vol.
256
(2003) on July 17
Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599.
Copyright © Inter-Research, Oldendorf/Luhe, 2003
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