[Coral-List] question on coral-algal biomass

[shashank Keshavmurthy]

Dear All
I have a question?

How much is the biomass of zooxanthellae in a
coral tissue? assuming an average zooxanthellae
number of 10 to the power 6 cells per square cm
of the tissue.  So many zoox for  a 1cm square
surface area of a tissue!!

And this biomass will change as there is change
in the zooxanthellae number, say seasonally. 
This means the contribution of Carbon from
zooxanthellae to coral also is flutuating? This
means every coral has to keep up the balance
throughout the year irrespective of the
zooxantehllae Carbon contribution.  Which again
means zooxanthellae is not the main source of
Carbon in coral-algal symbiosis, and corals are
not just Autotrophs?

Am I on the right track here?

Oops!! I drifted away...Please I just need to
know what is the biomass of Zoox in a healthy
coral thats all...

Thanks and Regards
Shashank

"the role of infinitely small in nature is infinitely large"-Louis Pasteur                

Keshavmurthy Shashank
phD candidate
Kochi University, Graduate School of Kuroshio Science
Laboratory of Environmental Conservation
Otsu 200, Monobe, Nankoku-shi
783-8502, Kochi, Japan
alt. id: shashank at cc.kochi-u.ac.jp
phone: 81 080 3925 3889

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