Species-Specific Response of Corals to Imbalanced Ratios of Inorganic Nutrients
Dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) is a limiting nutrient in the physiology of scleractinian corals. Anthropogenic addition of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) to coastal reefs increases the seawater DIN:DIP ratio and further increases P limitation, which is detrimental to coral health. The effe...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/4/3119 |
| _version_ | 1797620633141510144 |
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| author | Alice C. A. Blanckaert Tom Biscéré Renaud Grover Christine Ferrier-Pagès |
| author_facet | Alice C. A. Blanckaert Tom Biscéré Renaud Grover Christine Ferrier-Pagès |
| author_sort | Alice C. A. Blanckaert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) is a limiting nutrient in the physiology of scleractinian corals. Anthropogenic addition of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) to coastal reefs increases the seawater DIN:DIP ratio and further increases P limitation, which is detrimental to coral health. The effects of imbalanced DIN:DIP ratios on coral physiology require further investigation in coral species other than the most studied branching corals. Here we investigated the nutrient uptake rates, elemental tissue composition and physiology of a foliose stony coral, <i>Turbinaria reniformis</i>, and a soft coral, <i>Sarcophyton glaucum</i>, exposed to four different DIN: DIP ratios (0.5:0.2, 0.5:1, 3:0.2, 3:1). The results show that <i>T. reniformis</i> had high uptake rates of DIN and DIP, proportional to the seawater nutrient concentrations. DIN enrichment alone led to an increase in tissue N content, shifting the tissue N:P ratio towards P limitation. However, <i>S. glaucum</i> had 5 times lower uptake rates and only took up DIN when the seawater was simultaneously enriched with DIP. This double uptake of N and P did not alter tissue stoichiometry. This study allows us to better understand the susceptibility of corals to changes in the DIN:DIP ratio and predict how coral species will respond under eutrophic conditions in the reef. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:44:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ca2e6f7ef3f0484082e658e723c20413 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:44:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-ca2e6f7ef3f0484082e658e723c204132023-11-16T20:55:29ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672023-02-01244311910.3390/ijms24043119Species-Specific Response of Corals to Imbalanced Ratios of Inorganic NutrientsAlice C. A. Blanckaert0Tom Biscéré1Renaud Grover2Christine Ferrier-Pagès3Coral Ecophysiology Team, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, 8 Quai Antoine 1er, MC-98000 Monaco, MonacoCoral Ecophysiology Team, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, 8 Quai Antoine 1er, MC-98000 Monaco, MonacoCoral Ecophysiology Team, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, 8 Quai Antoine 1er, MC-98000 Monaco, MonacoCoral Ecophysiology Team, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, 8 Quai Antoine 1er, MC-98000 Monaco, MonacoDissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) is a limiting nutrient in the physiology of scleractinian corals. Anthropogenic addition of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) to coastal reefs increases the seawater DIN:DIP ratio and further increases P limitation, which is detrimental to coral health. The effects of imbalanced DIN:DIP ratios on coral physiology require further investigation in coral species other than the most studied branching corals. Here we investigated the nutrient uptake rates, elemental tissue composition and physiology of a foliose stony coral, <i>Turbinaria reniformis</i>, and a soft coral, <i>Sarcophyton glaucum</i>, exposed to four different DIN: DIP ratios (0.5:0.2, 0.5:1, 3:0.2, 3:1). The results show that <i>T. reniformis</i> had high uptake rates of DIN and DIP, proportional to the seawater nutrient concentrations. DIN enrichment alone led to an increase in tissue N content, shifting the tissue N:P ratio towards P limitation. However, <i>S. glaucum</i> had 5 times lower uptake rates and only took up DIN when the seawater was simultaneously enriched with DIP. This double uptake of N and P did not alter tissue stoichiometry. This study allows us to better understand the susceptibility of corals to changes in the DIN:DIP ratio and predict how coral species will respond under eutrophic conditions in the reef.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/4/3119DINDIPoctocoralscleractinianelemental compositionnutrient uptake |
| spellingShingle | Alice C. A. Blanckaert Tom Biscéré Renaud Grover Christine Ferrier-Pagès Species-Specific Response of Corals to Imbalanced Ratios of Inorganic Nutrients International Journal of Molecular Sciences DIN DIP octocoral scleractinian elemental composition nutrient uptake |
| title | Species-Specific Response of Corals to Imbalanced Ratios of Inorganic Nutrients |
| title_full | Species-Specific Response of Corals to Imbalanced Ratios of Inorganic Nutrients |
| title_fullStr | Species-Specific Response of Corals to Imbalanced Ratios of Inorganic Nutrients |
| title_full_unstemmed | Species-Specific Response of Corals to Imbalanced Ratios of Inorganic Nutrients |
| title_short | Species-Specific Response of Corals to Imbalanced Ratios of Inorganic Nutrients |
| title_sort | species specific response of corals to imbalanced ratios of inorganic nutrients |
| topic | DIN DIP octocoral scleractinian elemental composition nutrient uptake |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/4/3119 |
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