title: Effects of light, food availability and temperature stress on the function of photosystem II and photosystem I of coral symbionts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Reef corals are heterotrophic coelenterates that achieve high productivity through their photosynthetic dinoflagellate symbionts. Excessive seawater temperature destabilises this symbiosis and causes corals to "bleach," lowering their photosynthetic capacity. Bleaching poses a serious threat to the persistence of coral reefs on a global scale. Despite expanding research on the causes of bleaching, the mechanisms remain a subject of debate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This study determined how light and food availability modulate the effects of temperature stress on photosynthesis in two reef coral species. We quantified the activities of Photosystem II, Photosystem I and whole chain electron transport under combinations of normal and stressful growth temperatures, moderate and high light levels and the presence or absence of feeding of the coral hosts. Our results show that PS1 function is comparatively robust against temperature stress in both species, whereas PS2 and whole chain electron transport are susceptible to temperature stress. In the symbiotic dinoflagellates of Stylophora pistillata the contents of chlorophyll and major photosynthetic complexes were primarily affected by food availability. In Turbinaria reniformis growth temperature was the dominant influence on the contents of the photosynthetic complexes. In both species feeding the host significantly protected photosynthetic function from high temperature stress.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings support the photoinhibition model of coral bleaching and demonstrate that PS1 is not a major site for thermal damage during bleaching events. Feeding mitigates bleaching in two scleractinian corals, so that reef responses to temperature stresses will likely be influenced by the coinciding availabilities of prey for the host.
authors.affiliation: Ecophysiology and Ecology Research Team, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Monaco, Monaco. mia.hoogenboom1@jcu.edu.au
authors.forename: Mia O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Hoogenboom
authors.forename: Douglas A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beraud
authors.forename: Katrina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dezeeuw
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferrier-Pagès
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis / Q000528:radiation effects; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000378:metabolism; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000502:physiology; D004579:Electron Transport / Q000528:radiation effects; D005502:Food; D008027:Light; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000528:radiation effects; D045331:Photosystem I Protein Complex / Q000378:metabolism*; D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex / Q000378:metabolism*; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D045331:Photosystem I Protein Complex; D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex; D002734:Chlorophyll