Coral photosymbiosis on Mid-Devonian reefs.

ABSTRACT: The ability of stony corals to thrive in the oligotrophic (low-nutrient, low-productivity) surface waters of the tropical ocean is commonly attributed to their symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic dinoflagellates^1,2. The evolutionary history of this symbiosis might clarify its organismal and environmental roles³, but its prevalence through time, and across taxa, morphologies and oceanic settings, is currently unclear^4-6. Here we report measurements of the nitrogen isotope (¹⁵N/¹⁴N) ratio of coral-bound organic matter (CB-δ¹⁵N) in samples from Mid-Devonian reefs (Givetian, around 385 million years ago), which represent a constraint on the evolution of coral photosymbiosis. Colonial tabulate and fasciculate (dendroid) ru

SUBMITTER: Jung J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11655356 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature