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Differential coral response to algae contact: Porites tissue loss, praise for Halimeda interaction at southeast coast of India

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Abstract

Worldwide, reef building corals are being degraded due to increasing anthropogenic pressure, and as a result, macroalgal cover is being increased. Hence, mechanism of coral–algal interaction, differential coral response to algal overgrowth, is critical from every geographical location to predict future coral dynamics. This paper documents the frequency of coral–algal (Halimeda) interactions, differential coral response to algal interaction. We found difference in susceptibility among coral genera to competitive effects. Out of 970 coral colonies surveyed, 36.7% were in contact with Halimeda sp. Most frequent contact was observed in Porites (57%) followed by Favites 28% (n = 60), Acropora 26% (n = 48), Platygyra 5% (n = 5) and Symphyllia 4.2% (n = 3). Frequent discoloration and tissue loss were only observed in Porites. Continuous monitoring revealed that long-term algal physical contact prevents light required for polyp for photosynthesis and stops coral feeding ability. In this study, we also found mutual exclusion between Halimeda and coral recruit. Out of 180 coral colonies (size class between 5 and 15 cm) comprised of Favites (n = 74), Acropora (n = 20), Favia (n = 79) and Porites (n = 7) surveyed, none of them were found in Halimeda-dominated sites. The documented effects of recruitment exclusion and tissue mortality followed by algal interaction on major reef building corals (Porites) could affect replenishing process and health of the remaining healthy corals in the Palk Bay reef if algal proliferation rate is not controlled through proper management strategies.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Department of Biotechnology (Govt. of India) and IDEA Wild Small grant (www.ideawild.org) for the financial supports. TT extends thanks to the UGC and USIEF for the DS Kothari and Fulbright fellowships, respectively. We thank Sajan John (Wild life trust of India) for GPS mapping support. We also thank the volunteers Manimaran and Saqib Hassan, who supported the field visits.

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  1. Thangadurai Thinesh

    Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, India

    Thangadurai Thinesh, Pasiyappazham Ramasamy, Ramu Meenatchi & Joseph Selvin

  2. Marine Biotechnology and Ecology Division, CSIR- Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, G. B. Marg, Bhavnagar, 364002, India

    Polpass Arul Jose

  3. Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, India

    K. Muthamizh Selvan

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  1. Thangadurai Thinesh
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Correspondence to Thangadurai Thinesh.

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Thinesh, T., Jose, P.A., Ramasamy, P. et al. Differential coral response to algae contact: Porites tissue loss, praise for Halimeda interaction at southeast coast of India. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 17845–17852 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05024-1

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