Population density and photosynthetic pigment content in symbiotic dinoflagellates in the Brazilian scleractinian coral Montastrea cavernosa (Linnaeus, 1767)

Costa, Cristiane F.; Sassi, Roberto; Amaral, Fernanda D.

Abstracts

The seasonal dynamics of cell density and photosynthetic pigment contents of the zooxanthellae hosted by Montastrea cavernosa were investigated on coastal reefs off Picãozinho (06º42'05"/07º07'30"S and 34º48'37"/34º50'00" W), Northeast Brazil between September 1999 and 2000. A distinct pattern of these parameters was found: cell numbers were greater during the rainy season (autumn/winter) while photosynthetic pigments were greater during the dry season (summer). Both parameters showed drastic reductions during heavy rains (June and July 1999). We speculate that this pattern is largely influenced by the rain cycles which, owing to their magnitude and frequency, affect the water clarity and the seasonal physiological condition of the cells.

Brazil; Montastrea cavernosa; Symbiotic dinoflagellates; Zooxanthellae

A dinâmica sazonal na densidade de células e na concentração de pigmentos fotossintetizantes das zooxantelas de Montastrea cavernosa foram analisados no período setembro/1999 a setembro/2000 nos Recifes do Picãozinho (06º42'05"/07º07'30" S e 34º48'37"/34º50'00" W), Nordeste do Brasil. Verificou-se que existe um padrão distinto entre estes parâmetros, com maior quantidade de células no período chuvoso e maior concentração de pigmentos fotossintetizantes na época de estiagem. Ambos os parâmetros apresentaram, no entanto, uma nítida redução em seus valores nos meses de maiores índices pluviométricos (junho e julho /1999). Especulamos que tal fato deve estar relacionado com o regime de chuvas que pode variar em magnitude e freqüência, afetando a qualidade ótica da água e o estado fisiológico das células.

Brasil; Montastrea cavernosa; Dinoflagelados simbióticos; Zooxantelas

Amaral, F. D. & Costa, C. F. 1998. Zooxantelas dos hidrocorais Millepora alcicornis e Millepora braziliensis e dos corais Favia gravida e Siderastrea stellata de Pernambuco. Trab. Oceanogr. Univ. Fed. PE., 26 (1):123-133.
Baker, A. C. & Rowan, R. 1997. Diversity of symbiotic dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae) in scleractinian corals of the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp., 2:1301-1306.
Baker, A. C.; Rowan, R. & Knowlton, N. 1997. Symbiosis ecology of two Caribbean acroporid corals. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp., 2:1295-1300.
Billinghurst, Z.; Douglas, A. E. & Trapido-Rosenthal, H. G. 1997. On the genetic diversity of the symbiosis between the coral Montastrea cavernosa and zooxanthellae in Bermuda. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp., 2:1291-1294.
Brown, B. E.; Dunne, R. P.; Ambarsari, I.; Le Tissier, M. D. A. & Satapoomin, U. 1999. Seasonal fluctuations in environmental factors and variations in symbiotic algae and chlorophyll pigments in four Indo-Pacific coral species. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 195:117-124.
Carlos, A. A.; Baillie, B. & Maruyama, T. 2000. Diversity of dinoflagellate symbionts (zooxanthellae) in a host individual. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 195::93-100.
Castro, C. B. & Pires, D. O. 2001. Brazilian coral reefs: what we already know and what is still missing. Bull. mar. Sci., 69 (2):357-371.
Costa, C. F. & Amaral, F. D. 2002. Density and size differences in zooxanthellae from five reef-building coral species from Brazil. Proc. 9th Int. Coral Reef Symp., 1:159-162.
Costa, C. F.; Amaral, F. D. & Sassi, R. 2001. Branqueamento em Siderastrea stellata (Cnidaria, Scleractinia) da Praia de Gaibu - Pernambuco, Brasil. Rev. Nordestina Biol., 15:15-22.
Dustan, P. 1979. Distribution of zooxanthellae and photosynthetic chloroplast pigments of the reef-building coral Montastrea annularis Ellis and Solander in relation to depth on a West Indian coral reef. Bull. mar. Sci., 29:79-95.
Fagoonee, I.; Wilson, H. B.; Hassel, M. P. & Turner, J. F. 1999. The dynamic of zooxanthellae populations: a long-term study in the field. Science, 283:843-845.
Fitt, W. K.; Spero, H. J.; Halas, J.; White, M. W. & Porter, J. W. 1993. Recovery of the coral Montastrea annularis in the Florida keys after the 1987 Caribbean "Bleaching event". Coral Reefs, 12:57-64.
Fitt, W. K. & Warner, M. E. 1995. Bleaching patterns of four species of Caribbean reef corals. Biol. Bull., 189:298-307.
Fitt, W. K.; McFarland, F. K.; Warner, M. E. & Chilcoat, G. C. 2000. Seasonal patterns of tissue biomass and densities of symbiotic dinoflagellates in reef corals and relation to coral bleaching. Limnol. Oceanogr., 45:677-685.
Gorbunov, M. Y.; Kolber, Z. S.; Lesser, M. P. & Falkowski, P. G. 2001. Photosynthesis and photoprotection in symbiotic corals. Limnol. Oceanogr., 46(1):75-85.
Glynn, P. W.; Maté, J. L.; Baker, A. C. & Calderón, M. O. 2001. Coral bleaching and mortality in Panama and Ecuador during the 1997-1998 El NiÑo-Southern oscillation event: Spatial/temporal patterns and comparisons with the 1982-1983 event. Bull. mar. Sci., 69(1):79-109.
Lesser, M. P. 2000. Depth-dependent photoacclimatization to solar ultraviolet radiation in the Caribbean coral Montastrea faveolata Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 192:137-151.
Lombardi, M. R.; Lesser, M. P. & Gorbunov, M. Y. 2000. Fast repetition rate (FRR) fluorometry: variability of chlorophyll a fluorescence yields in colonies of the corals, Montastrea faveolata (w.) and Diploria labyrinthiformes (h.) recovering from bleaching. J. expl mar. Biol. Ecol., 252:75-84.
Parsons, T. R. & Strickland, J. D. H. 1963. Discussion of spectrophotometric determination of marine plant pigments, with revised equations for ascertaining chlorophylls and carotenoids. J. Mar. Res., 21:155-163.
Porter, J. W.; Muscatine, L.; Dubinsky, Z. & Falhowski, P. G. 1984. Primary production and photoadaptation in light-shade-adapted colonies of the symbiotic coral Stylophora pistillata Proc. R. Soc. Lond., B 222:161-180.
Stimson, J. 1997. The annual cycle of density of zooxanthellae in the tissue of field and laboratory-held Pocillopora damicornis (Linnaeus). J. expl mar. Biol. Ecol., 214:35-48.
Titlyanov, E. A.; Titlyanov, T. V.; Yamazato, K. Y. & Woesik, R. V. 2001. Photo-acclimation dynamics of the coral Stylophora pistillata to low and extremely low light. J. expl mar. Biol. Ecol., 263:211-225.
Verde, E. A. & McCloskey, L. R. 1998. Production, respiration, and photophysiology of the mangrove jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana symbiotic with zooxanthellae: effect of jellyfish size and season. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 168:147-162.
Warner, M. E.; Chilcoat, G. C.; McFarland, F. K. & Fitt, W. K. 2002. Seasonal fluctuations in the photosynthetic capacity of photosystem II in symbiotic dinoflagellates in the Caribbean reef-building coral Montastrea Mar. Biol., 141:31-38.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
26 Jan 2009
Date of issue
June 2004

History

Accepted
08 Mar 2004
Reviewed
25 Sept 2003
Received
13 Mar 2009

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

[1] Amaral, F. D. & Costa, C. F. 1998. Zooxantelas dos hidrocorais Millepora alcicornis e Millepora braziliensis e dos corais Favia gravida e Siderastrea stellata de Pernambuco. Trab. Oceanogr. Univ. Fed. PE., 26 (1):123-133.

[2] Baker, A. C. & Rowan, R. 1997. Diversity of symbiotic dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae) in scleractinian corals of the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp., 2:1301-1306.

[3] Baker, A. C.; Rowan, R. & Knowlton, N. 1997. Symbiosis ecology of two Caribbean acroporid corals. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp., 2:1295-1300.

[4] Billinghurst, Z.; Douglas, A. E. & Trapido-Rosenthal, H. G. 1997. On the genetic diversity of the symbiosis between the coral Montastrea cavernosa and zooxanthellae in Bermuda. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp., 2:1291-1294.

[5] Brown, B. E.; Dunne, R. P.; Ambarsari, I.; Le Tissier, M. D. A. & Satapoomin, U. 1999. Seasonal fluctuations in environmental factors and variations in symbiotic algae and chlorophyll pigments in four Indo-Pacific coral species. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 195:117-124.

[6] Carlos, A. A.; Baillie, B. & Maruyama, T. 2000. Diversity of dinoflagellate symbionts (zooxanthellae) in a host individual. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 195::93-100.

[7] Castro, C. B. & Pires, D. O. 2001. Brazilian coral reefs: what we already know and what is still missing. Bull. mar. Sci., 69 (2):357-371.

[8] Costa, C. F. & Amaral, F. D. 2002. Density and size differences in zooxanthellae from five reef-building coral species from Brazil. Proc. 9th Int. Coral Reef Symp., 1:159-162.

[9] Costa, C. F.; Amaral, F. D. & Sassi, R. 2001. Branqueamento em Siderastrea stellata (Cnidaria, Scleractinia) da Praia de Gaibu - Pernambuco, Brasil. Rev. Nordestina Biol., 15:15-22.

[10] Dustan, P. 1979. Distribution of zooxanthellae and photosynthetic chloroplast pigments of the reef-building coral Montastrea annularis Ellis and Solander in relation to depth on a West Indian coral reef. Bull. mar. Sci., 29:79-95.

[11] Fagoonee, I.; Wilson, H. B.; Hassel, M. P. & Turner, J. F. 1999. The dynamic of zooxanthellae populations: a long-term study in the field. Science, 283:843-845.

[12] Fitt, W. K.; Spero, H. J.; Halas, J.; White, M. W. & Porter, J. W. 1993. Recovery of the coral Montastrea annularis in the Florida keys after the 1987 Caribbean "Bleaching event". Coral Reefs, 12:57-64.

[13] Fitt, W. K. & Warner, M. E. 1995. Bleaching patterns of four species of Caribbean reef corals. Biol. Bull., 189:298-307.

[14] Fitt, W. K.; McFarland, F. K.; Warner, M. E. & Chilcoat, G. C. 2000. Seasonal patterns of tissue biomass and densities of symbiotic dinoflagellates in reef corals and relation to coral bleaching. Limnol. Oceanogr., 45:677-685.

[15] Gorbunov, M. Y.; Kolber, Z. S.; Lesser, M. P. & Falkowski, P. G. 2001. Photosynthesis and photoprotection in symbiotic corals. Limnol. Oceanogr., 46(1):75-85.

[16] Glynn, P. W.; Maté, J. L.; Baker, A. C. & Calderón, M. O. 2001. Coral bleaching and mortality in Panama and Ecuador during the 1997-1998 El NiÑo-Southern oscillation event: Spatial/temporal patterns and comparisons with the 1982-1983 event. Bull. mar. Sci., 69(1):79-109.

[17] Lesser, M. P. 2000. Depth-dependent photoacclimatization to solar ultraviolet radiation in the Caribbean coral Montastrea faveolata Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 192:137-151.

[18] Lombardi, M. R.; Lesser, M. P. & Gorbunov, M. Y. 2000. Fast repetition rate (FRR) fluorometry: variability of chlorophyll a fluorescence yields in colonies of the corals, Montastrea faveolata (w.) and Diploria labyrinthiformes (h.) recovering from bleaching. J. expl mar. Biol. Ecol., 252:75-84.

[19] Parsons, T. R. & Strickland, J. D. H. 1963. Discussion of spectrophotometric determination of marine plant pigments, with revised equations for ascertaining chlorophylls and carotenoids. J. Mar. Res., 21:155-163.

[20] Porter, J. W.; Muscatine, L.; Dubinsky, Z. & Falhowski, P. G. 1984. Primary production and photoadaptation in light-shade-adapted colonies of the symbiotic coral Stylophora pistillata Proc. R. Soc. Lond., B 222:161-180.

[21] Stimson, J. 1997. The annual cycle of density of zooxanthellae in the tissue of field and laboratory-held Pocillopora damicornis (Linnaeus). J. expl mar. Biol. Ecol., 214:35-48.

[22] Titlyanov, E. A.; Titlyanov, T. V.; Yamazato, K. Y. & Woesik, R. V. 2001. Photo-acclimation dynamics of the coral Stylophora pistillata to low and extremely low light. J. expl mar. Biol. Ecol., 263:211-225.

[23] Verde, E. A. & McCloskey, L. R. 1998. Production, respiration, and photophysiology of the mangrove jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana symbiotic with zooxanthellae: effect of jellyfish size and season. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 168:147-162.

[24] Warner, M. E.; Chilcoat, G. C.; McFarland, F. K. & Fitt, W. K. 2002. Seasonal fluctuations in the photosynthetic capacity of photosystem II in symbiotic dinoflagellates in the Caribbean reef-building coral Montastrea Mar. Biol., 141:31-38.