| dc.description.abstract | Coral reefs are an essential part of the world. They provide the world with over half of the produced oxygen and take up over one-third of the carbon dioxide produced by mankind. Part of the success of these reef systems is due to the symbiotic relationship between coral and zooxanthellae (unicellular algae), and the different clades that reside within them. The relationship between these living organisms is essential for the reef systems survival, and for its ability to thrive. Zooxanthellae produce over 90% of the corals food and provide them with their vibrant color. The greatest threat to these delicate creatures is bleaching (loss of Zooxhantellae) due to increased water temperatures. Xenia elongata (Pulsing Xenia) is a soft coral that is easy to maintain in the laboratory, but also easy to bleach. In this project, I compared the concentration of zooxanthellae in Xenia, before and after a bleaching event induced by local temperature increase. The average loss of symbionts within these corals after bleaching was over 80%. This significant loss contributed to the mortality and complete disintegration of the observed colonies. The loss of zooxanthellae, resulted in coral starvation, that subsequently caused coral death. In this paper I also discuss how the increased temperatures may have caused an increased buildup of hydrogen peroxide which disrupted the extracellular matrix protein 67 and its calcium bonds. The loss of protein-calcium bond may then have caused the disintegration and overall death of the coral. | en |
