[Coral-List] Coral Polyps Rejecting/Ejecting Their Zooxanthellae

[Phil Dustan]

Hi All,
  For another perspective check out:

Downs, C.A., J.E. Fauth, J.C. Halas, P. Dustan,J. Bemiss,and C. Woodley. 
2002. Oxidative stress and seasonal coral bleaching. Free Radical 
Biology and Medicine, 33:4 pp533-543.

   Suggests that zoox are expelled by their hosts as a last resort 
because they become too much of a metabolic burden - virtually toxic 
with too much oxygen....
			Phil

Thomas Goreau wrote:
> Dunbar Steele and Nora Goreau found that degenerating and excess  
> zooxanthellae are often expelled rather than absorbed.
> 
> This fits with most coelenterates being obligate carnivores in diet,  
> even those with symbiotic algae. Sir Maurice Yonge pointed out in the  
> 1920s Reports of the Cambridge University Great Barrier Reef  
> Expedition that corals spat out phytoplankton put in their gastric  
> cavity but gobbled up zooplankton. In addition corals have many other  
> heterotropic uptake pathways. For more on this see:
> 
> TF Goreau, 1956, A study of the biology and histochemistry of corals,  
> 227 p., Yale University
> 
> TF Goreau, NI Goreau, and CM Yonge, 1971, Reef corals: autotrophs or  
> heterotrophs? Biol. Bull. 141:247-260
> 
> Thomas J. Goreau, PhD
> President
> Global Coral Reef Alliance
> 37 Pleasant Street, Cambridge MA 02139
> 617-864-4226
> goreau at bestweb.net
> http://www.globalcoral.org
> 
> On Jan 31, 2008, at 4:34 PM, James Cervino PhD. wrote:
> 
>> There was a great paper published by Roger Steele and Nora Goreau  
>> in 1977 that
>> discusses "farming of the alga". Here is the citation.
>>
>> Steele, R.D. and N. Goreau, (1977). The breakdown of symbiotic  
>> zooxanthellae in
>> the sea anemone Phyllactis (=Oulactis) flosculifera (Actiniara). J.  
>> Zool. Lond.
>> 181: 421-437.
>>
>>
>> *************************************
>> Dr. James M. Cervino
>> Pace University & Visiting Scientist
>> Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst.
>> Department of Marine Chemistry
>> Woods Hole MA.
>> Cell: 917-620*5287
>> ************************************
>>
>>
>> Quoting Melissa Keyes <mekvinga at yahoo.com>:
>>
>> * Hello, Listers,
>> *
>> *   Do stressed Polyps eject their Zooxanthellae because the Zoox  
>> are dying or
>> * have died, and are beginning to rot?
>> *
>> *   Cheers,
>> *
>> *   Melissa E. Keyes
>> *   Christiansted, St. Croix, USVI
>> *   Caribbean Sea
>> *
>> *
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>>
>>
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> 
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-- 
Phillip Dustan
Department of Biology
College of Charleston
Charleston SC 29424
(843) 953-8086
(843) 953-5453