[Coral-List] whole coral C:N ratio

[shashank Keshavmurthy]

Dear Researchers

Can anybody enlighten me on the CN ratio of
intact coral piece..has anyone carried out CN
analysis on a whole coral piece?...I know that
generally the CN ratio of zooxanthellae and coral
tissue is 7 and 6 (approximate).....but what is
the CN ratio of a coral piece..say 1cm long (in
case of Acropora sp.)....

What happens to CN ratio when stressed....I
believe it will increase (when I read the
literature on the CN ratios in palnktons
etc)...but in case of corals, as the stress
effect increase...the Carbon content of the
tissue start decreasing ??...(say from completely
healthy tissue to partially bleached to
completely bleached tissue)....

but in alternate situation..say nutrient enriched
(in form of Nitrogen)...then CN ratio will
decrease (in case of zooxanthellae CN
ratio)...but will that show when we measure CN
ratio of intact whole coral piece?......i am
confused here....

becasue when we measeure CN ratio of
zooxanthellae and coral tissue seperately..it
gives the individual CN ratios...but, if one
measures CN ratio of a intact coral piece....then
It should give the idea about the coral health
status..is it?

am I right or am i wrong?
 
Thanks for listening to me...and  I welcome any
answers....I still have to learn many things in
coral-algal physiology!!!!!!

Best 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: 81 090 8285 9012

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