PSII activity and pigment dynamics of Symbiodinium in two Indo-Pacific corals exposed to short-term high-light stress

Publication Type:
Journal Article
Citation:
Marine Biology, 2013, 160 (3), pp. 563 - 577
Issue Date:
2013-01-01
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This study examined the capacity for photoprotection and repair of photo-inactivated photosystem II in the same Symbiodinium clade associated with two coexisting coral species during high-light stress in order to test for the modulation of the symbiont's photobiological response by the coral host. After 4 days exposure to in situ irradiance, symbionts of the bleaching-sensitive Pocillopora damicornis showed rapid synthesis of photoprotective pigments (by 44 %) and strongly enhanced rates of xanthophyll cycling (by 446 %) while being insufficient to prevent photoinhibition (sustained loss in Fv/Fm at night) and loss of symbionts after 4 days. By contrast, Pavona decussata showed no significant changes in Fv/Fm, symbiont density or xanthophyll cycling. Given the association with the same Symbiodinium clade in both coral species, our findings suggest that symbionts in the two species examined may experience different in hospite light conditions as a result of different biometric properties of the coral host. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
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