An equation is derived which rigorously defines the photosynthesis : respiration ratio (P:R) for any alga : invertebrate symbiotic association and permits the computation of the fractional contribution of translocated algal carbon to the daily respiratory carbon requirement of the host animal. The equation is applied to two species of symbiotic reef corals, using 0, flux data from 24-h continuo...

Scleractinian corals are essential constituents of tropical reef ecological diversity. They live in close association with diazotrophs [dinitrogen (N2)-fixing microbes], which can fix high rates of N2. Whether corals benefit from this extrinsic nitrogen source is still under debate. Until now, N2 fixation rates have been indirectly estimated using the acetylene reduction assay, which does not p...

We examined metal-to-calcium ratios (Fe/Ca, Mn/Ca and Zn/Ca) in the growth bands of two Porites corals from Daya Bay, South China Sea, in order to trace long-term trends in local ambient pollution levels. Although Fe and Mn did not show any obvious increasing trends over 32 years in the period 1976-2007, peak values of Fe/Ca and Mn/Ca occurred in the mid-late 1980s, temporally-coeval with the l...

Clade D Symbiodinium are thermally tolerant coral endosymbionts that confer resistance to elevated sea surface temperature and bleaching to the host. The union between corals and clade D is thus important to management and coral conservation. Here, we review the diversity and biogeography of clade D Symbiodinium, factors linked to increasing abundances of clade D, and the benefits and drawbacks...

Diving-related activities may constitute a major threat to coral reefs. This study aimed to quantify the impact of diving in Hong Kong on hard corals and understand how socio-economic characteristics and experience level of divers influence diver-inflicted damage. We recorded and analysed the underwater behaviour of 81 recreational divers. On average, a diver was in contact with marine biota 14...

It is usually assumed that metabolic constraints restrict deep-sea corals to cold-water habitats, with 'deep-sea' and 'cold-water' corals often used as synonymous. Here we report on the first measurements of biological characters of deep-sea corals from the central Red Sea, where they occur at temperatures exceeding 20°C in highly oligotrophic and oxygen-limited waters. Low respiration rates, l...

The bicarbonate ion (HCO3(-)) is involved in two major physiological processes in corals, biomineralization and photosynthesis, yet no molecular data on bicarbonate transporters are available. Here, we characterized plasma membrane-type HCO3(-) transporters in the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata. Eight solute carrier (SLC) genes were found in the genome: five homologs of mammalian-typ...

Coral reefs are of major ecological and socio-economic interest. They are threatened by global warming and natural pressures such as solar ultraviolet radiation. While great efforts have been made to understand the physiological response of corals to these stresses, the signalling pathways involved in the immediate cellular response exhibited by corals remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstra...

Sex change occurs when an individual changes from one functional sex to another. The direction of sex change occurs mainly from male to female (protandry) or vice versa (protogyny), but sometimes may be bidirectional (repetitive). Here, for the first time in stony corals, we report on a protandrous sex change exhibited by two mushroom corals, Fungia repanda and Ctenactis echinata, with the latt...

This paper reviews our knowledge of 011-pollution effects on coral-reef communities, concentrating on research done since the last review on this subject by Johannes (1975). The review focusses on crude-oil effects on scleractinian corals and octocorals and summarizes the small amount of work conducted on other reef organisms, as well as on the reef flora. Until 1975 there appeared to be no con...