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Nutrition of the temperate Australian soft coral Capnella gaboensis - II. The role of zooxanthellae and feeding
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Nutrition of the temperate Australian soft coral Capnella gaboensis - II. The role of zooxanthellae and feeding

P.A. Farrant, M.A. Borowitzka, R. Hinde and R.J. King
Marine Biology, Vol.95(4), pp.575-581
1987
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Abstract

We examined the ability of Capnella gaboensis Verseveldt, 1977 (Coelenterata: Octocorallia: Alcyonacea: Nephtheidae) to utilize heterotrophic food sources, and the importance of heterotrophic nutrition and photosynthesis in its diet, by using preserved material and histological sections of field-collected specimens and by means of laboratory experiments in which coral branches were fed with 14C-labelled food of different sizes. The study was conducted from April 1982 to August 1984. C. gaboensis receives nutrition from the photosynthesis of its symbiotic zooxanthellae, Symbiodinium sp., and from heterotrophic sources. Up to 10% of the algal photosynthate was translocated to the animal-host tissues. The contribution of translocated carbon from the zooxanthellae to the daily respiratory carbon requirement of the animal was estimated to be well below 50% in all seasons except in the summer of 1983-1984, indicating that the coral must rely on additional sources of nutrition (i.e., heterotrophy) for most, if not all, of the year. Field (Sydney Harbour: 33°50′S; 151°15′E) and laboratory observations and experiments indicated that this coral probably feeds upon zooplankton, small particulate matter and dissolved organic matter.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Citation topics
3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
3.2 Marine Biology
3.2.570 Coral Reef Ecology
Web Of Science research areas
Marine & Freshwater Biology
ESI research areas
Plant & Animal Science
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