Limited phosphorus availability is the Achilles heel of tropical reef corals in a warming ocean.

ABSTRACT: During the 20(th) century, seawater temperatures have significantly increased, leading to profound alterations in biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem processes. Elevated temperatures have also caused massive bleaching (symbiont/pigment loss) of autotrophic symbioses, such as in coral-dinoflagellate association. As symbionts provide most nutrients to the host, their expulsion during bleaching induces host starvation. However, with the exception of carbon, the nutritional impact of bleaching on corals is still unknown, due to the poorly understood requirements in inorganic nutrients during stress. We therefore assessed the uptake rates of nitrogen and phosphate by five coral species maintained under normal and thermal stress conditions. Our results showed that nitrogen acquisition rates were

SUBMITTER: Ezzat L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4987665 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature