Abstract
The phenomenon of coral fluorescence in mesophotic reefs, although well described for shallow waters, remains largely unstudied. We found that representatives of many scleractinian species are brightly fluorescent at depths of 50–60 m at the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences (IUI) reef in Eilat, Israel. Some of these fluorescent species have distribution maxima at mesophotic depths (40–100 m). Several individuals from these depths displayed yellow or orange-red fluorescence, the latter being essentially absent in corals from the shallowest parts of this reef. We demonstrate experimentally that in some cases the production of fluorescent pigments is independent of the exposure to light; while in others, the fluorescence signature is altered or lost when the animals are kept in darkness. Furthermore, we show that green-to-red photoconversion of fluorescent pigments mediated by short-wavelength light can occur also at depths where ultraviolet wavelengths are absent from the underwater light field. Intraspecific colour polymorphisms regarding the colour of the tissue fluorescence, common among shallow water corals, were also observed for mesophotic species. Our results suggest that fluorescent pigments in mesophotic reefs fulfil a distinct biological function and offer promising application potential for coral-reef monitoring and biomedical imaging.
Highlights
The obligatory symbiotic association with photosynthetic algae of the genus Symbiodinium renders the major builders of shallow, warm-water reef scleractinian corals, PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0128697 June 24, 2015Mesophotic Coral Fluorescence www.parks.org.il/parks/Pages/WhoWeAre.aspx)
Green fluorescence in shallow water corals was found in most of the colonies surveyed in the reefs in front of the Institute for Marine Sciences (IUI)
Essentially no orange-red coral fluorescence was observed with the exception of two orange-red fluorescent individuals, one Dipsastraea sp. coral and one corallimorpharian (Discosoma sp.), both of which were growing in crevices underneath massive corals
Summary
The obligatory symbiotic association with photosynthetic algae of the genus Symbiodinium (zooxanthellae) renders the major builders of shallow, warm-water reef scleractinian corals, PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0128697 June 24, 2015Mesophotic Coral Fluorescence www.parks.org.il/parks/Pages/WhoWeAre.aspx). The obligatory symbiotic association with photosynthetic algae of the genus Symbiodinium (zooxanthellae) renders the major builders of shallow, warm-water reef scleractinian corals, PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0128697. 311179) and support from Tropical Marine Centre (TMC) London The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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