Orange Montastrea cavernosa recruits?

Robert Murray rmurray at infochan.com
Sat Aug 5 16:40:30 EDT 2000


Hi corallites,

Now you mention it Jeremy, I remember that your suggestion was also made in the literature I was reading some way back.

It seemed like an interesting complimentary idea then too, i.e. that by simply making the light visible it can potentially contribute to PUR, but I can't remember if there is any hard evidence for or against this either. 

Plant physiologists and aquarists know that photosynthesis tends to use more of the short visible wavelengths. But to provide a little more detail here are a few "raw" notes from my brief venture into this topic several years ago, and a reference list attached as a "Word" document for those interested.


PHOTOSYNTHETIC PIGMENTS ABSORB BROADLY BETWEEN 400-550nm & NARROWLY BETWEEN 650-700nm (KINZIE ET AL): LIKE THE BLUE OPEN OCEAN THE WAVELENGTHS THAT PENETRATE MOST ON CORAL REEFS ARE BETWEEN 440-490NM. THIS HAS THE IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCE OF CHARACTERIZING THE PHOTOSYNTHETIC PIGMENTS OF THE ZOOXANTHELLAE SUCH THAT CHL A, CHL C, & THE CAROTENOID PERIDININ, WHICH COLLECTIVELY CONSTITUTE THE MAIN LIGHT HARVESTING COMPLEX ASSOCIATED WITH PSII, SHOW THEIR GREATEST ABSORPTION BETWEEN 400-550NM. 

NON-VISIBLE WAVELENGTHS INCLUDE ULTRAVIOLET AND INFRA-RED. AS FAR AS INFRA-RED WAVELENGTHS ARE CONCERNED THERE ISN'T MUCH KNOWN. BUT CORALS ARE HIGHLY REFLECTIVE TO THESE WAVELENGTHS, AND EMIT A GREAT DEAL OF INFRA-RED LIGHT IN COMPARISON TO OTHER REEF EPIFAUNA. THIS FEATURE HAS BEEN USED IN THE MAPPING OF CORAL REEFS. THERE IS AN INTERESTING IDEA IN FALKOWSKI ET AL THAT THERE MAY IN FACT BE SOME CONVERSION OF PAR INTO INFRA-RED.
 
FLUORESCENCE UNDER BOTH NATURAL & ARTIFICIAL UV. USUALLY GREEN, ALSO ORANGE, PINK & RED. FLUORESCENT PIGMENT EXISTS AS SPHERULES <2mm DIFFUSE OR ENCASED IN GRANULES IN EPITHELIAL LAYER, ONLY IN TISSUES EXPOSED TO DAYLIGHT. PIGMENT IS STABLE TO OXIDIZING & REDUCING CONDITIONS BUT IS NOT STABLE TO P.H., & DISSOLVES  READILY  IN  DISTILLED  WATER. FUNCTION UNKNOWN BUT NOT RESPIRATORY. ABSORBS IN UV REGION AT 330nm & EMITS LIGHT AT 450-510nm: POSSIBLY A PROTECTIVE & PHOTOSYNTHETIC  ACCESSORY  (KAWAGUTI 1944).


Regards,

Robert Murray.


==========================
ROBERT MURRAY  BSc, FGA,
Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory,
Discovery Bay, Jamaica, W.I.
 
Tel. (876) 973 2946
Fax. (876) 973 3091
rmurray at infochan.com
WWW.DBML.ORG
==========================


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jeremy Woodley 
  To: Mikhail Matz 
  Cc: Robert Murray ; coral list 
  Sent: Friday, August 04, 2000 07:29
  Subject: Re: Orange Montastrea cavernosa recruits?


  Does the fluorescence make more of the energy of uv light available for
  photosynthesis?  I am not sufficiently familiar with the action spectra to
  judge for myself.

  Jeremy Woodley

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