Trophic strategy and bleaching resistance in reef-building corals.
Sci Adv
; 6(15): eaaz5443, 2020 04.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32300659
ABSTRACT
Ocean warming increases the incidence of coral bleaching, which reduces or eliminates the nutrition corals receive from their algal symbionts, often resulting in widespread mortality. In contrast to extensive knowledge on the thermal tolerance of coral-associated symbionts, the role of the coral host in bleaching patterns across species is poorly understood. Here, we applied a Bayesian analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope data to determine the trophic niche overlap between corals and their symbionts and propose benchmark values that define autotrophy, heterotrophy, and mixotrophy. The amount of overlap between coral and symbiont niche was negatively correlated with polyp size and bleaching resistance. Our results indicated that as oceans warm, autotrophic corals lose their competitive advantage and thus are the first to disappear from coral reefs.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Temas:
Geral
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Antozoários
/
Recifes de Corais
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Sci Adv
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article