Abstract
The pigmentation and corresponding in vivo and in vitro absorption characteristics in three different deep-water coral species: white and orange Lophelia pertusa, Paragorgia arborea and Primnoa resedaeformis, collected from the Trondheimsfjord are described. Pigments were isolated and characterized by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (LC-TOF MS). The main carotenoids identified for all three coral species were astaxanthin and a canthaxanthin-like carotenoid. Soft tissue and skeleton of orange L. pertusa contained 2 times more astaxanthin g−1 wet weight compared to white L. pertusa. White and orange L. pertusa were characterized with in vivo absorbance peaks at 409 and 473 nm, respectively. In vivo absorbance maxima for P. arborea and P. resedaeformis was typically at 475 nm. The shapes of the absorbance spectra (400–700 nm) were species-specific, indicated by in vivo, in vitro and the corresponding difference spectra. The results may provide important chemotaxonomic information for pigment when bonded to their proteins in vivo, bio-prospecting, and for in situ identification, mapping and monitoring of corals.
Highlights
Deep water corals have a cosmopolitan distribution and are found in almost all of the world’s oceans
The scleractinian Lophelia pertusa is a reef forming coral found at depths between 39 and 3383 m, but most commonly occurs between 200 and 800 m [1,2]
L. pertusa, P. arborea and P. resedaeformis did not show as distinct peaks, they showed slightly different signatures compared to the in vivo absorbance curves (Figure 1a)
Summary
Deep water corals have a cosmopolitan distribution and are found in almost all of the world’s oceans. Paragorgia arborea and Primnoa resedaeformis are deep water gorgonian corals with a soft skeleton that with their large and branching morphology create habitats of importance to other species [4,5,6]. They occur on both sides of the North Atlantic, most commonly at depths between 200 and 1000 m [7,8,9]
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