Abstract
Fifty-seven species of hermatypic corals have been maintained and grown in high-nutrient seawater at the Waikiki Aquarium, Honolulu, Hawaii. In this study we document the chemical conditions of aquarium water in terms of dissolved nutrients and carbon. Aquarium water is characterized by concentrations of inorganic nutrients that are high relative to most natural reef ecosystems: SiO3 ∼200 μM; PO4 ∼0.6 μM; NO3 ∼5 μM; NH4 ∼2 μM. In contrast, concentrations of organic nutrients are lower than most tropical surface ocean waters: DOP ∼0.1 μM and DON ∼4 μM. The incoming well-water servicing the facility has low pH, creating over-saturation of carbon dioxide. The coral communities in aquaria took up inorganic nutrients and released organic nutrients. Rates of nutrient uptake into aquaria coral communities were similar to nutrient uptake by natural reef communities. Coral growth rates were near the upper rates reported from the field, demonstrating corals can and do flourish in relatively high-nutrient water. The growth of corals does not appear to be inhibited at concentrations of nitrogen up to 5 μM. Statements implying that corals can only grow in low nutrient oligotrophic seawater are therefore over-simplifications of processes that govern growth of these organisms. Some basic guidelines are given for maintenance of coral communities in aquaria.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adey WH, Loveland K (1991) Dynamic aquaria, Academic Press, New York, 640pp
Atkinson MJ (1987a) Rates of phosphate uptake by coral reef communities. Limnol Oceanogr 32:426–435
Atkinson MJ (1987b) Alkaline phosphatase activity of coral reef benthos. Coral Reefs 6:59–62
Atkinson MJ (1988) Are coral reef communities nutrient-limited? Proc 6th Int Coral Reef Symp, 1:157–166
Atkinson MJ (1992) Productivity of Enewetak Atoll reef flats predicted from mass transfer relationships. Cont Shelf Res 12: 799–807
Atkinson MJ, Bilger RW (1992) Effects of water velocity on P uptake in coral reef flat communities. Limnol Oceanogr 37:273–279
Atkinson MJ, Kotler E, Newton P (1994) Effects of water velocity on respiration, calcification, and ammonium uptake of a Porites compressa community. Pac Sci: 48:296–303
Barnes DJ, Crossland CJ (1980) Diurnal and seasonal variations in the growth of a staghorn coral measured by time-lapse photography, Limnol Oceanogr 25:1113–1117
Bilger RW, Atkinson MJ (1992) Anomalous mass transfer of phosphate on coral reef flats. Limnol Oceanogr 37:261–272
Bilger RW, Atkinson MJ (1995) Effects of nutrient loading on nutrient uptake kinetics of coral reef communities. Limnol Oceanogr 40:279–289
Buddemeier RW, Kinzie RA III (1976) Coral growth. Oceanogr Mar Biol Ann Rev 14:183–225
Crossland CJ (1983) Dissolved nutrients in coral reef waters. In: Barnes DJ (ed) Perspectives on coral reefs. Aust Inst Mar Sci Publ pp 56–68
D'Elia CF, Wiebe WJ (1990) Biogeochemical nutrient cycles in coralreef ecosystems. In: Dubinsky Z (ed) Ecosystems of the world: corel reefs. Elsevier, 25:49–70
Dubinsky Z, Stambler N, Ben-Zion M, McCloskey L, Falkowski PG, Muscatine L (1990) The effect of external nutrient resources on the optical properties and photosynthetic efficiency of Stylophora pistillata. Proc R Soc Lond B 239:231–246
Dubinsky Z, Jokiel PL (1994) Ratio of energy and nutrient fluxes regulates symbiosis between zooxanthellae and corals. Pac Sci 48:313–324
Kinsey DW (1985) Metabolism, calcification and carbon production: system level studies. Proc 5th Int Coral Reef Congr 4:505–526
Lesser MP, Weis VM, Patterson MR, Jokiel PL (1994) Effects of morphology and water motion on carbon delivery and productivity in the reef coral, Pocillopora damicornis (Linnaeus): diffusion barriers, inorganic carbon limitation, and biochemical plasticity. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 178:153–179
Mehrbach C, Culberson CH, Hawley JE, Pytkowicz RM (1973) Measurements of the apparent dissociation constants of carbonic acid in seawater at atmospheric pressure. Limnol Oceanogr 18: 897–907
Sansone FJ, Tribble GW, Andrews CC, Chanton JP (1990) Anaerobic diagenesis within Recent, Pleistocene, and Eocene marine carbon-ate frameworks. Sedimentology 37:997–1009
Smith SV (1984) Phosphorus versus nitrogen limitation in the marine environment, Limnol Oceanogr 29:1149–1160
Smith SV, Buddemeier RW (1992) Global change and coral reef ecosystems. Ann Rev Syst 23:89–118
Smith SV, Kinsey DW (1978) Calcification and organic carbon metabolism as indicated by carbon dioxide. In: Stoddart DR, Johannes RE (eds) Coral Reefs: research methods edited by UNESCO pp 469–483
Tinker S (1962) Water for aquarium purposes from a salt water well. Bull Inst Oceanogr 1B:65–68
Walsh TW (1989) Total dissolved N in seawater: A new high temperature combustion method and a comparison with photo-oxidation. Mar Chem 26:95–311
Webb KL, DuPaul DW, Wiebe W, Sottile W, Johannes RE (1975) Enewetak Atoll: aspects of the nitrogen cycle on a coral reef. Limnol Oceanogr 20:198–210
Wiebe WJ, Johannes RE, Webb KL (1975) Nitrogen fixation in a coral reef community. Science 188:257–259
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Atkinson, M.J., Carlson, B. & Crow, G.L. Coral growth in high-nutrient, low-pH seawater: a case study of corals cultured at the Waikiki Aquarium, Honolulu, Hawaii. Coral Reefs 14, 215–223 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00334344
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00334344