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ePaper created 2013-03-25, 14:25:29 | version 1.25.5
16 Corals Temperature influences the metabolism of every organism. Unsuitable temperatures, however, affect symbiotic life partnerships between animals and plants, not only in an aquarium. Discovering bleaching corals in an aquarium may be a symptom caused by overheating. Corals and temperature by Johannes Dürbaum calcium++ , carbon dioxide CO2 COCO22 fromfrom metabolismmetabolismmetabolismmetabolismmetabolismmetabolismmetabolismmetabolism “disposal”of“disposal”of“disposal”of“disposal”of carbonic acidcarbonic acidcarbonic acidcarbonic acidcarbonic acid precipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of limeprecipitation of lime lime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acidlime and carbonic acid marine water zooxanthellae tissue polyp base gland skeleton (aragonite) A complicated cooperation between different organisms explains the success of corals in tropical waters particularly low in nutrients. The symbiosis between microscopically small single-celled algae or autotro- phic (buildup metabolism depending on light) dinoflagellates and stony and soft corals led to an evolutionary breakthrough which, among others, allowed the complex coral reef biotopes being formed. However, other organisms took up these so-called zooxanthellae in their tissues as well: some mollusks (e.g. giant clams and nudibranchs) as well as the single-celled foraminifers are some examples. Foraminifer species were so successful and dominant in the past that their fossilized hard shells deposited as marine sediments that formed entire mountain ranges. Cross section through polyp tissue and skeleton forming zone of a stony coral (Illustration according to Schumacher) Local diversity of stony coral species off the Sera island, Indonesia Rapidly growing Acropora millepora