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High inorganic phosphate concentration in coral mucus and its utilization by heterotrophic bacteria in a Malaysian coral reef |
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| Authors: | Ryota Nakajima Yasuaki Tanaka Teruaki Yoshida Tamami Fujisawa Asami Nakayama Yumi Fuchinoue Bin Haji Ross Othman Tatsuki Toda |
| Affiliation: | 1. Marine Biodiversity Research Program, Institute of Biogeosciences, Japan Agency for Marine‐Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan;2. Sesoko Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Motobu, Okinawa, Japan;3. Marine Ecosystem Research Centre, Faculty of Science & Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia;4. Department of Environmental Engineering for Symbiosis, Faculty of Engineering, Soka University, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan |
| Abstract: | Inorganic nutrient contents of mucus released by Acropora corals and its utilization by heterotrophic bacteria at several different hour intervals in the coral mucus were investigated at a coral reef in Malaysia. The dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) concentration was 135‐fold higher than in the ambient seawater, probably due to inorganic P release from the coral gut cavity. We experimentally confirmed that heterotrophic bacteria rapidly (within 8 h) consumed ca. 80% of the initial concentration of DIP derived from coral mucus. High DIP concentration in coral mucus may enhance heterotrophic bacterial production and associated carbon flow in the microbial loop of reef ecosystems. |
| Keywords: | Coral mucus, degradation dissolved organic carbon inorganic nutrients phosphate |