Pink Porites
William Kiene
kiene at informatik.uni-frankfurt.de
Mon Apr 15 12:07:56 EDT 1996
I can contribute some insight to the recent discussion of pink banding
observed in Porites - and also help to clear Bob Buddemeier of any
responsibility for coloring the corals in question. I have found pink
bands in Porites and other corals in studies of microborers in the
Pacific (GBR) and the Bahamas. These were in sections and cores of
living corals. Sampling of the pink areas (that sometimes occur below
the living coral tissue as well as below the "Ostreobium band". Found
that they were produced by Plectonema terebrans (a boring cyanobacteria).
The pink color is likely a chromatic adaption of pigments to low light
conditions. Cochocelis (endolithic stage of red algae) probably also
has this pigment adaption and has also been found in living coral
skeletons (but I have not seen it in densities that would cause pink
coloration). It cannot be ruled out though.
William E. Kiene
Geologisch-Palaeontologisches Institut
Senckenberganlage 32
J.W. Goethe-Universitaet
D-60054 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
Tel. +49 69 798 28598
Fax. +49 69 798 22958
E-mail. kiene at informatik.uni-frankfurt.de
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