Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Population dynamics of zooxanthellae during a bacterial bleaching event

  • Note
  • Published:
Coral Reefs Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Each summer 80–90% of the colonies of Oculina patagonica undergo bleaching off the Mediterranean coast of Israel. To investigate fluctuations through a yearly bleaching cycle, monthly measurements of zooxanthella density, mitotic index and chlorophyll-a concentration were conducted. Results showed (1) a significant negative correlation between sea surface temperature (SST) and zooxanthella density; (2) both significantly lower zooxanthella mitotic index and higher chlorophyll-a per zooxanthella content during the bleaching season compared with the non-bleaching period; (3) prior to bleaching, a lag between the peak of zooxanthella density and chlorophyll-a concentration followed by a similar lag during recovery. Zooxanthella density declined significantly between March and May while chlorophyll-a concentration peaked in April, and then declined. Zooxanthella density increased significantly in November while chlorophyll-a concentration increased significantly in January. We conclude that during bacterial bleaching events, zooxanthellae are severely damaged. However, by the time of the following bleaching event the coral tissues regain their “normal” (pre-bleaching) zooxanthella population density.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

  • Ben-Haim Y, Banin E, Kushmaro A, Loya Y, Rosenberg E (1999) Inhibition of photosynthesis and bleaching of zooxanthellae by the coral pathogen Vibrio shiloi. Environ Microbiol 1(3):223–229

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Yami M (1998) Middle Eastern marine environments: An overview of anthropogenic impacts. Yale For Environ Stud Bull Ser 103:365–374

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown BE (1997) Coral bleaching: causes and consequences. Coral Reefs Suppl 16:S129–S138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown BE, Dunne RP, Ambarsari I, Le Tissier MDA, Satapoomin U (1999) Seasonal fluctuations in environmental factors and variations in symbiotic algae and chlorophyll pigments in four Indo-Pacific coral species. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 191:53–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cervino JM, Hayes RL, Polson SW, Polson SC, Goreau TJ, Martinez RJ, Smith GW (2004) Relationship of Vibrio species infection and elevated temperatures to Yellow blotch/band disease in Caribbean corals. Appl Environ Microb 70(11):6855–6864

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Edmunds PJ, Gates RD, Gleason DF (2003) The tissue composition of Montastraea franksi during a natural bleaching event in the Florida Keys. Coral Reefs 22(1):54–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Fine M, Zibrowius H, Loya Y (2001) Oculina patagonica: a non-lessepsian scleractinian coral invading the Mediterranean Sea. Mar Biol 138:1195–1203

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fitt WK, Spero HJ, Halas J, White MW, Porter JW (1993) Recovery of the coral Montastrea annularis in the Florida Keys after the 1987 Caribbean ‘‘bleaching event’’. Coral Reefs 12:57–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glynn PW (1993) Coral reef bleaching ecological perspectives. Coral Reefs 12(1):1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glynn PW, DeCroz L (1990) Experimental evidence for high temperature stress as the cause of El Niño coincident coral mortality. Coral Reefs 8:181–91

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoegh-Guldberg O (1999) Climate change, coral bleaching and the future of the world’s coral reefs. Mar Freshwater Res 50:839–866

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoegh-Guldberg O, Smith GJ (1989) The effect of sudden changes in temperature, irradiance and salinity on the population density and export of zooxanthellae from the reef corals Stylophora pistillata (Esper 1797) and Seriatopora hystrix (Dana 1846). J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 129:279–303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Israely T, Banin E, Rosenberg E (2001) Growth, differentiation and death of Vibrio shiloi in coral tissue as a function of seawater temperature. Aquat Microb Ecol 24:1–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffrey SW, Humphrey GF (1975) New spectrophotometric equation for determining chlorophylls a, b, c 1 and c 2 in higher plant, algae and natural phytoplankton. Biochem Physiol Pfl 167:191–194

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johannes RE, Wiebe WJ (1970) Method for determination of coral tissue biomass and composition. Limnol Oceanogr 15:822–824

    Google Scholar 

  • Jokiel P (2004) Temperature stress and coral bleaching. In: Rosenberg E, Loya Y (eds) Coral health and disease. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 401–425

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones RJ (1997) Changes in zooxanthellar densities and chlorophyll concentrations in corals during and after a bleaching event. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 158:51–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones RJ, Yellowlees D (1997) Regulation and control of intracellular algae (= zooxanthellae) in hard corals. Philos T Roy Soc B352:457–468

    Google Scholar 

  • Kushmaro A, Loya Y, Fine M, Rosenberg E (1996) Bacterial infection and coral bleaching. Nature 380:396–396

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kushmaro A, Rosenberg E, Fine M, Loya Y (1997) Bleaching of the coral Oculina patagonica by Vibrio AK-1. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 147:159–165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lasker HR (2003) Zooxanthella densities within a Caribbean octocoral during bleaching and non-bleaching years. Coral Reefs 22:23–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Tissier MAA, Brown BE (1996) Dynamics of solar bleaching in the intertidal reef coral Goniastrea aspera at Ko Phuket, Thailand. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 136:235–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura T, Yamasaki H, van Woesik R (2003) Water flow facilitates recovery from bleaching in the coral Stylophora pistillata. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 256:287–291

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Porter JW, Fitt WK, Spero HJ, Rogers CS, White MW (1989) Bleaching in reef coral: physiological and stable isotopic responses. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 86:9342–9346

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg E, Ben-Haim Y (2002) Microbial diseases of corals and global warming. Environ Microbiol 4(6):318–326

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shenkar N, Fine M, Loya Y (2005) Size matters: bleaching dynamics of the coral Oculina patagonica. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 294:181–188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilkerson FP, Muller Parker G, Muscatine L (1983) Temporal patterns of cell division in natural populations of endosymbiotic algae. Limnol Oceanogr 28(5):1009–1014

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are indebted to Y. Aluma, R. Tzadok and A. Glazer for their technical help in the field. We are grateful to N. Paz for editorial assistance and A. Shoob for photography. This research was supported by the Israel Science Foundation (ISF) and the Raynor Chair for Environmental Conservation Research to YL.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, and the Porter Super-Center for Ecological and Environmental Studies, Tel-Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel

    N. Shenkar, E. Kramarsky-Winter & Y. Loya

  2. The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 31905, Haifa, Israel

    M. Fine

Authors
  1. N. Shenkar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Fine
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E. Kramarsky-Winter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Y. Loya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to N. Shenkar.

Additional information

Communicated by Biology Editor H.R. Lasker

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shenkar, N., Fine, M., Kramarsky-Winter, E. et al. Population dynamics of zooxanthellae during a bacterial bleaching event. Coral Reefs 25, 223–227 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-006-0090-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-006-0090-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation