Skip to main content
Log in

Effect of light quality on photosynthesis of the reef coral Montipora verrucosa

  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Pieces of the reef coral Montipora verrucosa (Lam.), collected from Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii in 1982, were grown in four low-light treatments (11% sunlight): blue, green, red and the full spectrum of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR); and at high-intensity full PAR (90% sunlight). These acclimated corals were then tested for photosynthetic ability in blue, green, red, and white light. The photosynthetic parameters that were measured were; ligh-saturated photosynthetic rate, the initial slope of the photosynthesis/irradiance curve, the light intensity where these two lines crossed, and dark respiration. While acclimation intensity had a pronounced effect, the results also showed that the color of the acclimation treatment influenced the photosynthetic responses of the corals. The color of the light used in the measurements of photosynthesis had much less effect on the photosynthetic responses of the corals.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature cited

  • Beardall, J. and I. Morris: The concept of light intensity adaptation in marine phytoplankton: some experiments with Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Mar. Biol. 37, 377–387 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bird, K. T., C. J. Dawes and J. T. Romeo: Light quality effects on carbon metabolism and allocation in Gracilaria verrucosa. Mar. Biol. 64, 219–223 (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  • Blank, R. J. and R. K. Trench: Speciation and symbiotic dinoflagellates. Science, N.Y. 229, 656–658 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Blatt, M. R. and W. R. Briggs: Blue-light induced chloroplast aggregation and cortical fiber reticulation in the alga Vaucheria. Yb. Carnegie Instn Wash. 77, 333–336 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • Brody, M. and R. Emerson: The effects of wavelength and intensity of light on the proportion of pigments in Porphyridium cruentum. Am. J. Bot. 46, 433–440 (1959)

    Google Scholar 

  • Chalker, B. E., W. C. Dunlap and J. K. Oliver: Bathymetric adaptations of reef building corals at Davies Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. II. Light saturation curves for photosynthesis and respiration. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 73, 37–56 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  • Chalker, B. E. and D. L. Taylor: Rhythmic variation in calcification and photosynthesis associated with the coral Acropora cervicornis (Lamarck). Proc. R. Soc. (Ser. B) 201, 179–189 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang, S. S., B. B. Prézelin and R. K. Trench: Mechanisms of photoadaptation in three strains of the symbiotic dinoflagellate Symbiodinium microadriaticum. Mar. Biol. 76, 219–229 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  • Drew, E. A.: The biology and physiology of alga-invertebrate symbioses. II. The density of symbiotic algal cells in a number of hermatypic hard corals and alcyonarians from various depths. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 9, 71–75 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dring, M. J.: Chromatic adaptation of photosynthesis in benthic marine algae: an examination of its ecological, significance using a theoretical model. Limnol. Oceanogr. 26, 271–284 (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dring, M. J. and K. Lüning: Emerson enhancement effect and quantum yield of photosynthesis for marine macroalgae in simulated underwater light fields. Mar. Biol. 87, 109–117 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dubinsky, Z., P. G. Falkowski, J. W. Porter and L. Muscatine: Absorption and utilization of radiant energy by light-and shade-adapted colonies of the hermatypic coral Stylophora pistillata. Proc. R. Soc Lond. (Ser. B) 222, 203–214 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dustan, P.: Distribution of zooxanthellae and photosynthetic chloroplast pigments of the reef building coral Montastrea annularis Ellis and Solander in relation to depth on a West Indian coral reef. Bull. mar. Sci. 29, 79–95 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dustan, P.: Depth-dependent photoadaptation of the reef coral Montastrea annularis. Mar. Biol. 68, 253–264 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • Engelmann, T. W.: Farbe und Assimilation. Bot. Ztg 41, 1–29 (1883)

    Google Scholar 

  • Falkowski, P. G.: Light-shade adaptation in marine phytoplankton In: Primary productivity in the sea, pp 99–119. Ed. by P. G. Falkowski. New York: Plenum Press 1980

    Google Scholar 

  • Falkowski, P. G. and Z. Dubinsky: Light-shade adaptation of Stylophora pistillata, a hermatypic coral from the Gulf of Eilat. Nature, Lond. 289, 172–174 (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  • Faust, M. A., J. C. Sager and B. W. Meeson: Response of Prorocentrum mariae-lebouriae (Dinophyceae) to light of different spectral qualities and irradiances: growth and pigmentation. J. Phycol. 18, 349–356 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hess, J. L. and N. E. Tolbert: Changes in chlorophyll a/b ratio and products of 14CO2 fixation by algae grown in blue or red light. Pl. Physiol., Lancaster 42, 1123–1130 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Houck, J.: The potential utilization of scleractinian coral in the study of marine environments, 199 pp. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Hawaii, Honolulu 1978

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeffrey, S. W. and G. F. Humphrey: New spectrophotometric equations for determining chlorophylls a, b, c 1and c 2in higher plants, algae and natural phytoplankton. Biochem. Physiol. Pfl. 167, 191–194 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeffrey, S. W. and M. Vesk: Effect of blue-green light on photosynthetic pigments and chloroplast structure in the marine diatom Stephanopyxis turris. J. Phycol. 13, 271–279 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jokiel, P. L. and R. H. York, Jr.: Solar ultraviolet photobiology of the reef coral Pocillopora damicornis and symbiotic zooxanthellae. Bull. mar. Sci. 32, 301–315 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, T. W. and R. A. Galloway: Effect of light quality and intensity on glycerol content in Dunaliella tertiolecta (Chlorophyceae) and the relationship to cell growth/osmoregulation. J. Phycol. 15, 101–106 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamiya, A. and S. Miyachi: Blue light effects on some algae collected from subsurface chlorophyll layer in the western Pacific Ocean. In: The blue light syndrome, pp 605–613. Ed. by H. Senger. Berlin: Springer-Verlag 1980

    Google Scholar 

  • Kinzie III, R. A., P. L. Jokiel and R. York: Effects of altered spectral composition on coral zooxanthellae associations and on zooxanthellae in vitro. Mar. Biol. 78, 239–248 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ley, A. C. and D. C. Mauzerall: Absolute absorption cross-sections for photosystem II and the minimum quantum requirement for photosynthesis in Chlorella vulgaris. Biochim. biophys. Acta 680, 95–106 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lüning, K. and M. J. Dring: Reproduction, growth and photosynthesis of gametophytes of Laminaria saccharina grown in blue and red light. Mar. Biol. 29, 195–200 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pickett, J. M.: Effects of flashes of red or blue light on the composition of starved Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Pl. Physiol., Lancaster 47, 226–229 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter, J. W., L. Muscatine, Z. Dubinsky and P. G. Falkowski: Primary production and photoadaptation in light-and shadeadapted colonies of the symbiotic coral Stylophora pistillata. Proc. R. Soc. (Ser. B) 222, 161–180 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • Prézelin, B. B., B. W. Meeson and B. M. Sweeney: Characterization of photosynthetic rhythms in marine dinoflagellates I. Pigmentation, photosynthetic capacity and respiration. Pl. Physiol., Lancaster 60, 384–387 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Prézelin, B. B. and B. M. Sweeney: Photoadaptation of photosynthesis in Gonyaulax polyedra. Mar. Biol. 48, 27–35 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramus, J.: Engelmann's theory; the compelling logic. In: Synthetic and degradative processes in marine macrophytes, pp 29–46. Ed. by C. S. Lobban and M. J. Wynne. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter 1982

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramus, J.: A physiological test of the theory of complementary chromatic adaptation. II. Brown, green and red seaweeds. J. Phycol. 19, 173–178 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramus, J., S. I. Beale, D. Mauzerall and K. L. Howard: Changes in photosynthetic pigment concentration in seaweeds as a function of water depth. Mar. Biol. 37, 223–229 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramus, J., F. Lemons and C. Zimmerman: Adaptation of lightharvesting pigments to downwelling light and the consequent photosynthetic performance of the eulittoral rockweeds Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosis. Mar. Biol. 42, 293–303 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramus, J. and J. P. van der Meer: A physiological test of the theory of complementary chromatic adaptation. I. Color mutants of a red seaweed. J. Phycol. 19, 86–91 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  • Redalje, R. C.: The responses of two species of hermatypic corals and their zooxanthellae to changes in light intensity, 42 pp. M.Sc. thesis, Zoology Department, University of Hawaii 1976

  • Rivken, R. B., H. H. Seliger, E. Swift and W. H. Biggley: Light-shade adaptation by the oceanic dinoflagellates Pyrocystis noctiluca and P. fusiformis. Mar. Biol. 68, 181–191 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • SAS Institute Inc: SAS users guide, (Release 79.6), 494 pp. Cary, North Carolina, USA: SAS Institute Inc. 1979

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, B. D. and H. R. Jitts: Photosynthesis of phytoplankton and zooxanthellae on a coral reef. Mar. Biol. 41, 307–315 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sokal, R. R. and F. J. Rohlf: Biometry. The principles and practice of statistics in biological research, 776 pp. New York: W.H. Freeman & Co. 1969

    Google Scholar 

  • Steeman Nielsen, E. and E. G. Jørgensen: The adaptation of plankton algae. I. General part. Physiologia Pl. 21, 401–413 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, D. L.: Symbiotic marine algae: taxonomy and biological fitness. In: Symbiosis in the sea, pp 245–262. Ed. by W. B. Vernberg. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press 1974

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallen, D. G. and G. H. Geen: Light quality and concentration of proteins, RNA, DNA and photosynthetic pigments in two species of marine plankton algae. Mar. Biol. 10, 44–51 (1971a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallen, D. G. and G. H. Geen: The nature of the photosynthate in natural phytoplankton populations in relation to light quality. Mar. Biol. 10, 157–168 (1971b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wethey, D. S. and J. W. Porter: Sun and shade differences in productivity of reef corals. Nature, Lond. 262, 281–282 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Winer, B. J.: Statistical principles in experimental design, xv+907 pp. New York: McGraw-Hill 1971

    Google Scholar 

  • Yentsch, C. S. and R. W. Lee: A study of photosynthetic light reactions, and a new interpretation of sun and shade phytoplankton. J. mar. Res. 24, 319–337 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zvalinskii, V. I., V. A. Leletkin, E. A. Titlyanov and M. G. Shaposhnikova: Photosynthesis and adaptation of corals to irradiance 2. Oxygen exchange. Photosynthetica 14, 422–430 (1980)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Communicated by R. S. Carney, Baton Rouge

Contribution No. 729 of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kinzie, R.A., Hunter, T. Effect of light quality on photosynthesis of the reef coral Montipora verrucosa . Mar. Biol. 94, 95–109 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392902

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392902

Keywords

Navigation