Differential responses of hard coral <i>Montipora digitata</i> and soft coral <i>Xenia umbellata</i> to nutrient stoichiometry under heat stress.

ABSTRACT: The nitrogen-to-phosphorus (N:P) ratio of dissolved inorganic nutrients may influence coral susceptibility to heat stress, but comparative studies on how different N:P ratios affect soft and hard corals do not exist. This study thus investigated the effects of two different N:P ratios on two common Indo-Pacific reef corals: the pulsating soft coral Xenia umbellata and the hard coral Montipora digitata. Corals were exposed for five weeks to N:P 19:1 (37 µM nitrate, two µM phosphate) and N:P 5:1 (37 µM nitrate, eight µM phosphate), relative to a low nutrient control (N:P 3:1, 0.003 µM nitrate, 0.001 µM phosphate). After two weeks, temperatures were gradually increased from 26 to 32 °C. Nutrient enrichment alone did not affect any response parameter for M. digitata, where

SUBMITTER: Mezger SD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12619941 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature