UV Protective Pigments and Growth Abnormalities during Light and Heat Stress of Maldivian Corals

Pierre Madl^1* , Wolfgang Loch² and Karen Loch²

Received: March 18, 2019;   Published: March 25, 2019

DOI: 10.32474/MAOPS.2019.02.000145

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Abstract

During one of the recent visits in Dec. 2015 on Angaga (Ari Atoll, Maldives) the authors found a badly damaged reef devastated by bleaching-events as well as starfish coral predation. Nonetheless, some huge mono-specific stands of live branching Acropora abrolhosensis were still present in isolated patches. A very striking and common feature of these colonies concerned their bluish terminal branches with large longitudinal extensions that we associate with photo-protective fluorescent pigments (FPs) that seem to play a crucial role in this morphological adaptation. The streamlined tips were of slender appearance and regularly associated by a complete absence of radial corallites. Pigmentation in these stripped areas from endosymbionts did only occur around the scarcely present corallite calices and towards the very distal parts close to the apex. On a later visit in May 2016 it was found that most of these colonies with their peculiar appearance had died. Only few specimens still revealed the extensive bluish hue of their slender tips, which after sloughing off their coenosarc revealed its radiant white skeleton.

Keywords: Photo-protection; Heat stress; Growth abnormalities; A. Abrolhosensis; TB; SDR

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