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Light, Temperature, Photosynthesis, Heterotrophy, and the Lower Depth Limits of Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems

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Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems

Part of the book series: Coral Reefs of the World ((CORW,volume 12))

Abstract

The attenuation of light with increasing depth, along with reduced exposure to wave stress, plays an important role in vertically structuring coral reef communities. Benthic photosynthetic organisms exhibit different depth distributions and abundance patterns which cause changes in community composition of associated reef fauna. This vertical zonation in coral reef community structure suggests special adaptations in response to the changing environmental regime with depth including changes in light intensity, light spectrum, and angular distribution. At the lower depth limits of mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs), both light and temperature can become limiting factors with the latter playing an important role at higher latitudes. The available evidence indicates that different species can exhibit distinct and sometimes opposing photophysiological adaptations with increasing depth. Some zooxanthellate corals appear to maximize ambient light utilization at the expense of efficiency, while others appear to maximize efficiency. Coral holobiont adaptations to mesophotic depths include changes in colony morphology, algal symbionts, pigment physiology, skeletal properties, and metabolic strategy. Given the scarcity of physiological studies at depths >60 m, the current understanding of how obligate zooxanthellate corals and other light-dependent organisms can inhabit such a broad depth distribution is far from complete. This chapter summarizes the ecologically relevant aspects of light and temperature regimes of MCEs, as well as the depth-related photophysiological and adaptive strategies of coral holobionts.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the eight peer reviewers including F. Houlbrèque, P. Bongaerts, M. Hoogenboom, J. Leichter, and P. Swart whose thoughtful and detailed critique significantly improved the chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hawaii Pacific University, Waimanalo, HI, USA

    Samuel E. Kahng

  2. Leon S. Charney School of Marine Sciences, Department of Marine Technologies, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

    Derya Akkaynak

  3. The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, Eilat, Israel

    Derya Akkaynak & Raz Tamir

  4. George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Tom Shlesinger & Raz Tamir

  5. Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, St. George’s, Bermuda

    Eric J. Hochberg

  6. Coral Reef Laboratory, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, Southampton, UK

    Jörg Wiedenmann

  7. Institute for Life Sciences (IFLS), University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton, UK

    Jörg Wiedenmann

  8. Leon S. Charney School of Marine Sciences, Department of Marine Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

    Dan Tchernov

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  1. Samuel E. Kahng
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  2. Derya Akkaynak
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  6. Raz Tamir
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  7. Dan Tchernov
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Correspondence to Samuel E. Kahng .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Yossi Loya

  2. National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Silver Spring, MD, USA

    Kimberly A. Puglise

  3. Biodiversity and Geosciences Program, Museum of Tropical Queensland, Queensland Museum Network, Townsville, QLD, Australia

    Tom C.L. Bridge

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Kahng, S.E. et al. (2019). Light, Temperature, Photosynthesis, Heterotrophy, and the Lower Depth Limits of Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems. In: Loya, Y., Puglise, K., Bridge, T. (eds) Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems. Coral Reefs of the World, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92735-0_42

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