Chemical composition of corals in Saudi Red Sea Coast

doi:10.1016/S0399-1784(98)80033-9

Oceanologica Acta

Volume 21, Issue 3, May–June 1998, Pages 495-501

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0399-1784(98)80033-9 Get rights and content

Abstract

Three species of corals Stylophora pistillata, Lobophyllia corymbosa and Echinopora gemmacea were collected from Sharm Obhur to study their chemical composition. This information was important in the investigation of their metabolic pathways and their mode of feeding. The concentrations of amino acids in these species were 9.37, 21.35 and 3.09 mg·g⁻¹ dry weight of coral respectively. Plant pigments were highest in E. gemmacea followed by S. pistillata and then by L. corymbosa. Lipid concentrations in S. pistillata, L. corymbosa and E. gemmacea were 1.90, 8.58 and 1.32 mg·g⁻¹ of total coral respectively. The fatty acid methyl esters were analyzed in these species and the most abundant saturated acids were 16:0 and 18:0, while unsaturated acids included 16:1, 18:1 and 19:3. The carbohydrate concentrations were 559, 425 and 859 μg·g⁻¹ of total coral dry weight. Residual matter was 42.5, 32.8 and 41.39 per cent by weight of total coral. These data suggest a greater reliance on autotrophic feeding in E. gemmacea and S. pistillata and mostly heterotrophic feeding in L. corymbosa.

Résumé

Trois espèces de coraux, Stylophora pistillata, Lobophyllia corymbosa et Echinopora gemmacea ont été prélevés à Sharm Obhur afin d'étudier leur composition chimique. Cette information est utile pour l'étude du métabolisme et du mode de nutrition des coraux. Les concentrations en acides aminés des trois espèces étaient respectivement de 9,37; 21,35 et 3,09 mg·g⁻¹. Les pigments végétaux sont plus importants chez E. gemmacea suivi par S. pistillata puis par L. corymbosa. Le contenu lipidique chez S. pistillata, L. corymbosa et E. gemmacea était respectivement de 1,9; 8,58 et 1,32 mg·g⁻¹ du corail total. L'ester méthylique des acides gras a été analysé chez les trois espèces; les plus abondants parmi les acides saturés étaient le 16:0 et le 18:0, alors que les acides saturés comprenaient le 16:1, le 18:1 et le 19:3. Les contenus en hydrates de carbone des trois espèces étudiécs étaient respectivement de 559, 425 et 859 μg·g⁻¹; dans le même ordre la matière résiduelle représentait 42,5, 32,8 et 41,39% du poids total du corail. Ces données suggèrent une plus grande dépendance d'une nutrition autotrophe chez E. gemmacea et S. pistillata et une nutrition partiellement hétérotrophe chez L. corymbosa.

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Fatty Acids (FAs) are the biochemical compounds used as chemotaxonomic biomarkers for the systematic grouping of cnidarians. This study presents the chemotaxonomy of hard coral, particularly from the family Acroporidae (Anacropora [ANA], Montipora [MON], Astreopora [AST], and Acropora [ACP]) by applying multivariate analysis of FA composition matrix, of polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) to make a distinction among coral genera within the family. 18:4n-3, 18:3n-6, 20:5n-3, 20:4n-6, 22:6n-3, and 22:4n-6 have been identified as the characteristic FAs to differentiate between coral genera from the family Acroporidae. The classification of ANA, AST, and ACP was extensively affected by the distribution of the 18:4n-3, 20:5n-3, 22:6n-3, and 20:4n-6 FAs, while MON differed from the others with distinctive 22:4n-6 and 18:3n-6 compositions. The PUFAs 18:4n-3, 18:3n-6, and 20:5n-3 were then correlated with the Symbiodiniaceae (SYMD) density, thus rendering them a possible biomarker for symbiotic algae. The study findings indicate that genera-specific compositions can be characterised from the different PUFA content within the cnidarian through multivariate analyses such as permutational analysis of variance (PERMANOVA), similarity percentage (SIMPER), and canonical analysis of principal component (CAP). The FA composition and distribution are used for further classification of the hard corals to the lowest taxonomic level possible.
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Citation Excerpt :
Still, the ability to biosynthesise 24 carbon PUFA appears to depend on C20-22 PUFA obtained from food (Dunstan et al., 1993; Dalsgaard et al., 2003; Imbs et al., 2007c), with n-3 series characteristic of microalgae (e.g. phytoplankton) and n-6 series characteristic of zooplankton (Dalsgaard et al., 2003). Most studies focusing on the FA composition of corals where performed on reef-building species (Al-Moghrabi et al., 1995; Al-Lihaibi et al., 1998; Yamashiro et al., 1999; Imbs et al., 2009). Additionally, when considering soft corals, most attention has been directed to alcyonaceans (Carballeira et al., 1996, 1997, 2002; Imbs et al., 2007c, 2009, 2010) with only two papers on pennatulaceans (Vysotskii and Svetashev, 1991; Pernet et al., 2002).
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Oceanologica Acta

Abstract

Résumé

References (21)

A simple method for the isolation and purification of total lipids from animal tissues

J. Biol. Chem.

Effect of daylight variations on the energy budget of shallow water corals

Mar. Biol.

Reef building corals of Indo-Pacific

The effect of external nutrient resources on the optical properties and photosynthetic efficiency of Stylophora pistillata

Herbivoiry in asymbiotic soft corals

Science

Lipid content of some Caribbean corals in relation to depth and light

Mar. Biol.

Lipids of some Caribbean and Red Sea corals, total lipids, wax esters, triglycerides and fatty acids

Mar. Biol.

Spectroscopic determination of total carbohydrates

Nature

Experimental ecology of temperate scleratinian corals Astrangia danae

Mar. Biol.

The role of zooplankton in nutrition of some scleractinian corals

Limnol. Oceanogr.

Cited by (14)

Chemotaxonomy of reef building corals (family: Acroporidae) via fatty acid biomarkers

Temporal fatty acid dynamics of the octocoral Veretillum cynomorium

Amino acids in the octocoral Veretillum cynomorium: The effect of seasonality and differences from scleractinian hexacorals

Coral Lipids

Fatty acid profiles of separated host–symbiont fractions from five symbiotic corals: applications of chemotaxonomic and trophic biomarkers

Fatty Acid Profiles of Separated Host-Symbiont Fractions From Five Symbiotic Corals: Applications of Chemotaxonomic and Trophic Biomarkers

ArticleChemical composition of corals in Saudi Red Sea CoastComposition chimique des coraux de la Côte de Mer Rouge en Arabic Saoudite

Abstract

Résumé

J. Biol. Chem.

Effect of daylight variations on the energy budget of shallow water corals

Mar. Biol.

Reef building corals of Indo-Pacific

The effect of external nutrient resources on the optical properties and photosynthetic efficiency of Stylophora pistillata

Herbivoiry in asymbiotic soft corals

Science

Lipid content of some Caribbean corals in relation to depth and light

Mar. Biol.

Lipids of some Caribbean and Red Sea corals, total lipids, wax esters, triglycerides and fatty acids

Mar. Biol.

Spectroscopic determination of total carbohydrates

Nature

Experimental ecology of temperate scleratinian corals Astrangia danae

Mar. Biol.

The role of zooplankton in nutrition of some scleractinian corals

Limnol. Oceanogr.

Article
Chemical composition of corals in Saudi Red Sea CoastComposition chimique des coraux de la Côte de Mer Rouge en Arabic Saoudite