Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching?

[Pedro Alcolado]

Just, an interesting topic, but please, someone of you, tell me what means
MAA / GFP. I am absolutely profane in this subject but am very interested in
understanding this phenomenon.  Thanks and excuse me for interfering.

Pedro Alcolado

> Just as another comment to this is that the level of tissue degradation
> resulting in bleaching may account for the level of MAA's / GFP's
> remaining
> and hence host pigmentation. Localization of GFP's can be concentrated
> within the endoderm such as with Goniopora sp. so with the degradation
> of
> the endoderm and release of zooxanthellae during environmental stress
> there
> may be little or no MAA's / GFP's remaining resulting in a more
> 'whitened'
> appearance. However some species have MAA's / GFP's concentrated within
> the
> ectoderm such as Discosoma sp., hence when bleaching occurs they may
> retain
> the MAA / GFP pigmentation after the zooxanthellae density is reduced.
> Obviously different levels of stress, whether solar or thermal may
> result
> in different proportions of zoox and MAA's/GFPs and also host
> pigmentation
> may not be purely associated with GFPs. If anyone has any information
> regarding non-GFP host pigmentation I would also be very interested.
>
>
>
> At 16:48 28/05/02 +0100, you wrote:
> >>===== Original Message From "Mike Matz" <matz at whitney.ufl.edu> =====
> >Good question! I myself saw a case when the animal was bleached, but
> >retained red fluorescent coloration. This was not on the reef, though -
this
> >was a specimen of corallimorph shipped over from Vietnam, on aquarium
> >business. The bleaching was apparently a consequence of some stress
> >conditions during shipping. By the way, that guy recovered nicely after
> >that - regained brown coloration in a week or so in aquarium. It is from
> >this specimen we cloned the first red-emitting GFP-like protein. The
funny
> >thing is - if the specimen was not bleached upon arrival, we would
probably
> >overlook the red fluorescence of the host tissue, it becomes really
> >inconspicious as soon as the brown color is back.
> >
> >The fact that corals go completely white upon bleaching on reefs, with no
> >host-tissue colors remaining, might be a consequence of much worse stress
> >than my aquarium corallimorph suffered. But still, this completeness of
> >bleaching does seem weird to me. The dissapearance of host pigments might
be
> >linked to zooxanthellae loss, but just as well, it might not. I am not
aware
> >of any reports that would address this.
> >
> >Please share your opinions.
> >
> >Mike
> >
> >-----
> >Mikhail V. Matz, Ph.D.
> >
> >Whitney Laboratory
> >University of Florida
> >9505 Ocean Shore blvd
> >St Augustine FL 32080-8610, USA
> >phone +1 904 461 4025
> >fax +1 904 461 4008
> >
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Rupert Ormond" <rupert.ormond at millport.gla.ac.uk>
> >To: <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> >Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2002 5:48 AM
> >Subject: Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching?
> >
> >
> >> Dear Coral Listers
> >>
> >> I would be grateful if any of the coral physiologists involved in
> >bleaching
> >> work could offer any details on a question that's been put to me a
couple
> >> of times.
> >>
> >> The colourful pigments (blues, pinks etc.) that are charateristic of
many
> >> shallow water corals (Acropora etc.) are, as I understand it, located
in
> >> the coral tissue itself.  Whereas the pigments present in the
> >zooxanthellae
> >> are more or less brown in colour.  If coral bleaching (due to elevated
> >> SSTs) is principally the result of expulsion or loss of zooxanthellae,
> >then
> >> why do the corals go completely white.  i.e. what happens to the more
> >> colourful coral pigments? Are they damaged as well but independently by
> >> temperature induced failure of protective systems?
> >>
> >> sincerely,
> >>
> >> Rupert Ormond
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Dr. Rupert Ormond
> >> Director,
> >> University Marine Biological Station Millport,
> >> Isle of Cumbrae,
> >> SCOTLAND
> >> UK  KA28 0EG
> >>
> >> email: rupert.ormond at millport.gla.ac.uk
> >> tel: (44)-01475-530581
> >> fax: (44)-01475-530601
> >> web: http://www.gla.ac.uk/Acad/Marine/
> >>
> >>
> >>
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> >>
> >
> >
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> >
> Simon R Dunn
> School of Biological Sciences
> University of Liverpool
> Life Sciences Building
> Crown Street Tel: 0151 794-4373
> Liverpool Fax: 0151 794-4393
> L69 7ZB Email: sidunn at liv.ac.uk
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