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

Abstract

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 396:145-152 (2009) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08310 NOTE A new conceptual model for the enhanced release of mucus in symbiotic reef corals during ‘bleaching’ conditions Scott A. Wooldridge* Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville MC, Queensland 4810, Australia *Email: s.wooldridge@aims.gov.au 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’). KEY WORDS: Coral bleaching · Host release factor · Photoinhibition · Lipogenesis Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Wooldridge SA (2009) A new conceptual model for the enhanced release of mucus in symbiotic reef corals during ‘bleaching’ conditions. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 396:145-152. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08310 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 396. Online publication date: December 09, 2009 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2009 Inter-Research.