Autotrophic Feeding of Corals
335
The rate of respiration in corals (Mt) is one of the important
ecophysiological parameters, which characterize their energy demand
(Davies 1980; Lewis and Post 1982). As it was also mentioned above, the
Mt-value is still not equivalent to the energy demand but only a part of it,
which comprises after different evaluations about 60-70% of the total. The
remaining energy is needed for mucus production, propagation, and growth
(Muscatine et al. 1984; Sorokin 1984b; Edmunds and Davies 1986). The
generalized data on respiration rates in corals are given in Tables 9.1-9.6.
In the hermatypic scIeractinians it is 10-30 g O2 g of dry colonies weight, or
7 to 40 Ilg O 2 cm -2 of their surface per hour. Corals with a higher Pt have
also most often higher Mt rates (Mc Closkey et al. 1978; Porter et al. 1984).
Among such corals are the acroporids, Pocillopora and some foliose species:
Montipora, Merulina, Turbinaria. This could be a cousequence of a higher
rate of translocation of photosynthates in them by their zooxanthellae. The
same could be a cause of an elevation of the Mt at post:midday time when
the trasslocation is the most intensive (Mc Closkey et al. 1978; Mc Closkey
and Muscatine 1984; Porter et al. 1984; Titlyanov et al. 1985). The rates of
respiration in ahermatypic scIeractinians as Tubastrea, devoid of
zooxanthellae, are two to three times lower than in hermatypic corals
(Tables 9.7, 9.8). Possible dependence of the respiration rate in cnidarians
upon water-flow speed was also recorded - (Patterson and Sebens, per.
Comm.).
The rate of respiration in different scIeractinian species, calculated per
organic carbon of the polyps' biomass, ranged between relatively narrow
limits of 11 to 42mgCg- 1 (ratios Mt:B p = 0.7-4.2%). Only in Seriatopora
with its minute polyps was it 6% (Table 9.4). In corals with average and
large polyps this ratio was only about three times higher compared with
corals having large polyps, while the size of polyps between these two
groups varied within 3 orders of values. Thus, the respiration of corals does
not actually depend much upon the individual weight of its individual
Table 9.7. Respiration of some octocorals and of the zoantharian Palythoa
Species
~g O 2 h -I g-I
dry colony
weight per
hour
Plexaura fiexuosa
28
Eunicea tourneforti
33
Muriceopsis fiavida
150
Gorgonia ventalina
121
Briareum asbestinum
36
Heteroxenia fuscescens
160
Lithophyton arboreum 480
Palythoa mammillata
108
(zoantharian)
mg02h-1 g-I
Author
of total
organic matter
in colony
0.31
Lewis and Post (1982)
0.30
Lewis and Post (1982)
0.75
Lewis and Post (1982)
0.76
Lewis and Post (1982)
0.15
Lewis and Post (1982)
2.80
Mergner and Svoboda (1977)
3.00
Mergner and Svoboda (1977)
0.54
Mergner and Svoboda (1977)
335
The rate of respiration in corals (Mt) is one of the important
ecophysiological parameters, which characterize their energy demand
(Davies 1980; Lewis and Post 1982). As it was also mentioned above, the
Mt-value is still not equivalent to the energy demand but only a part of it,
which comprises after different evaluations about 60-70% of the total. The
remaining energy is needed for mucus production, propagation, and growth
(Muscatine et al. 1984; Sorokin 1984b; Edmunds and Davies 1986). The
generalized data on respiration rates in corals are given in Tables 9.1-9.6.
In the hermatypic scIeractinians it is 10-30 g O2 g of dry colonies weight, or
7 to 40 Ilg O 2 cm -2 of their surface per hour. Corals with a higher Pt have
also most often higher Mt rates (Mc Closkey et al. 1978; Porter et al. 1984).
Among such corals are the acroporids, Pocillopora and some foliose species:
Montipora, Merulina, Turbinaria. This could be a cousequence of a higher
rate of translocation of photosynthates in them by their zooxanthellae. The
same could be a cause of an elevation of the Mt at post:midday time when
the trasslocation is the most intensive (Mc Closkey et al. 1978; Mc Closkey
and Muscatine 1984; Porter et al. 1984; Titlyanov et al. 1985). The rates of
respiration in ahermatypic scIeractinians as Tubastrea, devoid of
zooxanthellae, are two to three times lower than in hermatypic corals
(Tables 9.7, 9.8). Possible dependence of the respiration rate in cnidarians
upon water-flow speed was also recorded - (Patterson and Sebens, per.
Comm.).
The rate of respiration in different scIeractinian species, calculated per
organic carbon of the polyps' biomass, ranged between relatively narrow
limits of 11 to 42mgCg- 1 (ratios Mt:B p = 0.7-4.2%). Only in Seriatopora
with its minute polyps was it 6% (Table 9.4). In corals with average and
large polyps this ratio was only about three times higher compared with
corals having large polyps, while the size of polyps between these two
groups varied within 3 orders of values. Thus, the respiration of corals does
not actually depend much upon the individual weight of its individual
Table 9.7. Respiration of some octocorals and of the zoantharian Palythoa
Species
~g O 2 h -I g-I
dry colony
weight per
hour
Plexaura fiexuosa
28
Eunicea tourneforti
33
Muriceopsis fiavida
150
Gorgonia ventalina
121
Briareum asbestinum
36
Heteroxenia fuscescens
160
Lithophyton arboreum 480
Palythoa mammillata
108
(zoantharian)
mg02h-1 g-I
Author
of total
organic matter
in colony
0.31
Lewis and Post (1982)
0.30
Lewis and Post (1982)
0.75
Lewis and Post (1982)
0.76
Lewis and Post (1982)
0.15
Lewis and Post (1982)
2.80
Mergner and Svoboda (1977)
3.00
Mergner and Svoboda (1977)
0.54
Mergner and Svoboda (1977)