Unveiling the importance of heterotrophy for coral symbiosis under heat stress.

ABSTRACT: Global warming endangers reef-building corals as they lose their photosynthetic symbionts, which limits their ability to feed autotrophically. Consequently, heterotrophy, the capture of zooplankton, can become crucial for the energy budget of heat-stressed corals. However, it is difficult to assess the extent of the heterotrophic contribution in corals, as well as the dynamics of nutrient exchange between the host and its symbionts. In this pioneering study, we employed a suite of isotopic markers, including ¹³C- and ¹⁵N bulk tissue isotope measurements, compound-specific isotope analysis of amino acids (CSIA-AAs), and ¹³C- and ¹⁵N-labeled food incubations, to investigate nutrient acquisition and allocation in the coral Stylophora pistillata</

SUBMITTER: Martinez S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11481558 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature