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Effects of Temperature and UV Radiation Increases on the Photosynthetic Efficiency in Four Scleractinian Coral Species

¹ Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Avenue Saint Martin, MC-98000 Monaco
² UMR 1112 UNSA INRA, Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, BP71, F-06108 Nice Cedex 02, France
³ EPHE, Laboratoire des Ecosystèmes aquatiques tropicaux & méditerranéens, Université de Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan Cedex, France
⁴ School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469-5751

To whom correspondence should be addressed: e-mail: ferrier{at}centrescientifique.mc

Experiments were performed on coral species containing clade A (Stylophora pistillata, Montipora aequituberculata) or clade C (Acropora sp., Pavona cactus) zooxanthellae. The photosynthetic efficiency (F_v/F_m) of the corals was first assessed during a short-term increase in temperature (from 27 °C to 29 °C, 32 °C, and 34 °C) and acute exposure to UV radiation (20.5 W m^–2 UVA and 1.2 W m^–2 UVB) alone or in combination. Increasing temperature to 34 °C significantly decreased the F_v/F_m in S. pistillata and M. aequituberculata. Increased UV radiation alone significantly decreased the F_v/F_m of all coral species, even at 27 °C. There was a combined effect of temperature and UV radiation, which reduced F_v/F_m in all corals by 25% to 40%. During a long-term exposure to UV radiation (17 days) the F_v/F_m was significantly reduced after 3 days’ exposure in all species, which did not recover their initial values, even after 17 days. By this time, all corals had synthesized mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs). The concentration and diversity of MAAs differed among species, being higher for corals containing clade A zooxanthellae. Prolonged exposure to UV radiation at the nonstressful temperature of 27 °C conferred protection against independent, thermally induced photoinhibition in all four species.

Abbreviations: F_vF_m, photosynthetic efficiency • MAA, mycosporine-like amino acid • PAR, photosynthetically active radiation • ROS, reactive oxygen species • UVR, ultraviolet radiation

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