Leather coral feeding

[Goondoo]

My first encounter with a leather coral feeding. Finally managed to capture the actions with my iPhone after 20 mins trying.....

[yikai]

it's not feeding. it's shedding.

leather corals periodically shed the first layer of cells to clean away detritus. they also do this to grow and keep themselves clean..

leather corals do not feed. they are photosynthetic.

[Goondoo]

it's not feeding. it's shedding.

leather corals periodically shed the first layer of cells to clean away detritus. they also do this to grow and keep themselves clean..

leather corals do not feed. they are photosynthetic.

Hi LemonLemon,

I am pretty sure its not shredding.

The "fine tentacles" look-a-like are from the bottom of the coral, not the top. I wasn't able to capture a high defination video but its definitely trying to catch something. The moment it touches some "dust" it will retract back for a while, then release the "thing" out to flow again. The "thing" looks like a feather and can be extended a pretty good distance and retract back again. Very interesting to watch!

[yikai]

Hi LemonLemon,

I am pretty sure its not shredding.

The "fine tentacles" look-a-like are from the bottom of the coral, not the top. I wasn't able to capture a high defination video but its definitely trying to catch something. The moment it touches some "dust" it will retract back for a while, then release the "thing" out to flow again. The "thing" looks like a feather and can be extended a pretty good distance and retract back again. Very interesting to watch!

oh! ok then.

yes. i know exactly what you are talking about.

this exact same thing can be commonly found in xenia and anthelias, and most other soft corals.

have witnessed this first hand many times before. long feather like threads will release and retract.

as to what exactly they are, i am not sure. i have been searching for an answer ever since.

it's not scientifically proven that they are feeding, because they are not known to feed. especially xenias.

but it's always interesting to know that mother nature never fails to amaze us! good job

[Goondoo]

oh! ok then.

yes. i know exactly what you are talking about.

this exact same thing can be commonly found in xenia and anthelias, and most other soft corals.

have witnessed this first hand many times before. long feather like threads will release and retract.

as to what exactly they are, i am not sure. i have been searching for an answer ever since.

it's not scientifically proven that they are feeding, because they are not known to feed. especially xenias.

but it's always interesting to know that mother nature never fails to amaze us! good job

YEA! I was so AWE by mother nature!

More interesting than stupid World Cup for sure!!!!

*runs and hide behind LemonLemon*

[yikai]

YEA! I was so AWE by mother nature!

More interesting than stupid World Cup for sure!!!!

*runs and hide behind LemonLemon*

i'm the only boy in my class that doesn't like soccer.

lol.

[FuEl]

Can't be sure if those extensions are for food capture but one thing is a fact. All corals exhibit some kind of heterotrophic feeding, simply because of the plain fact that they are animals. No corals rely 100% on photosynthesis, not even SPS. Polyps are designed for prey capture.

A good reference.

http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/0697/0697_3.html

[Goondoo]

Can't be sure if those extensions are for food capture but one thing is a fact. All corals exhibit some kind of heterotrophic feeding, simply because of the plain fact that they are animals. No corals rely 100% on photosynthesis, not even SPS. Polyps are designed for prey capture.

A good reference.

http://www.reefs.org...697/0697_3.html

I wonder if my leather coral is angry for posting its "scandal" on the web.... lol....

It refuse to open for the past 48 hours.

Fuel,

I am curious about corals photosynthesizing. What actually happen during the process? What is produced or used during the process? How much does it differ from water plants?

Many thanks!

[yikai]

hi goondoo.

i'll try to explain as simply and as lay-man as possible so everyone can understand.

coral harbour special algae within their cells called zooxanthellae. these algae are symbiotic and can photosynthesize. the photosynthesis of these zooxanthellae provides the coral with food produced from photosynthesis (photosynthates).

these food includes carbohydrates etc.

the coral gives the zooxanthellae a place to live while the zooxanthellae provide food. thus, the relationship is mutualistic. It is debated wether the relationship between zooxanthellae and coral cells are mutualistic or not. coral cells "capture" zooxanthellae and incorporate them into their cells. for a more detailed explanation on zooxanthellae, see here

when a coral bleaches, the zooxanthellae is expelled and thus the coral looses it's primary food source. you need to feed a bleached coral while it is recovering to make up for the loss of food.

in terrestrial and water plants, (this is where my plant science module comes in handy! finally a use for it! lol)

a leaf contains many kinds of cells. not all of the cells in the leaf contains chlorophyll. pallisade and spongy mesophyll cells are some of the cells which contain chlorophyll.

chlorophyll is a green pigment found in chloroplasts, which is an organelle found in plant cells. chlorophyll trap sunlight via an extremely complicated pathway called the Z- scheme. if you, for any reason, want to learn more on the Z- scheme, feel free to PM me.

the chlorophyll trap light energy and through a series of pathway, convert carbon dioxide, water and other raw-materials to sucrose, which is the product of photosynthesis, amongst other stuff.

hope you understand better now

bascially in corals,

coral cells house zooxanthellae, which photosynthesize, and provide food for the coral.

in plants,

plant cells contain chloroplasts, which contains chlorophyll, which trap sunlight to provide food for the plant.

the difference is that zooxanthellae is a living algae living in the coral tissue, whereas chlorophyll is a pigment, found in chloroplast, which is a organelle (organs of a cell).

You can say that zooxanthellae and coral cells are like living things living within another living thing. whereas for plants, chloroplasts containing chlorophyll is an organ within a cell. much like how the heart is an organ of an organism

the actual process is very complicated and i don't want to confuse reefers here on the mechanisms of photosynthesis. if you however, want to know, just PM me.

i hope my explanation did not confuse you furthur.

[Goondoo]

hi goondoo.

i hope my explanation did not confuse you furthur.

For my understanding,

The algae (zoonxanthellae) take in light, CO2 and necessary nutrients from the water column to make food aka photosynthesize (end product: O2 and sugar). The end product will be consumed by the coral which house them. The output by the corals after consuming these end product will be CO2 and waste.

Am I right to say that?

[yikai]

For my understanding,

The algae (zoonxanthellae) take in light, CO2 and necessary nutrients from the water column to make food aka photosynthesize (end product: O2 and sugar). The end product will be consumed by the coral which house them. The output by the corals after consuming these end product will be CO2 and waste.

Am I right to say that?

yes.

mechanism of photosynthesis in zooxanthellae occurs rather similarly to those of land and water plants.

it's just that the location, organ and everything else is different.

to put it very simply yes,

carbon dioxide + water will give you sugar + O2 in the presence of sunlight.

this is the basic formula of photosynthesis. the actual process is very very complicated.

[Goondoo]

yes.

mechanism of photosynthesis in zooxanthellae occurs rather similarly to those of land and water plants.

it's just that the location, organ and everything else is different.

to put it very simply yes,

carbon dioxide + water will give you sugar + O2 in the presence of sunlight.

this is the basic formula of photosynthesis. the actual process is very very complicated.

Thank you very much LemonLemon, I guess those are sufficient for me to digest.

All these while, I thought it was the coral that photosynthesize, so I thought they will take in nutrients like NPK, but I keep reading that corals bleached due to high NO3 or PO4 and also wondering why people keep saying K will kill corals since these are fundamental or food for the photosynthesis process.

I guess the next topic I will move in is chemical dosages and measurements. Will start a more detail read up after my holidays

Many thanks again!

[yikai]

Thank you very much LemonLemon, I guess those are sufficient for me to digest.

All these while, I thought it was the coral that photosynthesize, so I thought they will take in nutrients like NPK, but I keep reading that corals bleached due to high NO3 or PO4 and also wondering why people keep saying K will kill corals since these are fundamental or food for the photosynthesis process.

I guess the next topic I will move in is chemical dosages and measurements. Will start a more detail read up after my holidays

Many thanks again!

you're welcome. i am not exactly sure how zooxanthellae works in the mechanism of photosynthesis. i can confirm you it's different from plants though.

plants make use of either C3, C4, CAM, or a combination of the three photosynthesis pathways, with the help of the electron transfer from photosystem 2 to photosystem 1 in the Z-scheme. it's very complicated.

for zooxanthellae, it's definitely different from that of plants. The exact mechanism i am unsure because i don't learn photosynthesis in marine organisms. only plants lol.

NO3 is needed in certain concentrations for photosynthesis. that's why SPS brown out in the presence of higher NO3 concentrations. zooxanthellae overgrow and cause the SPS to brown out.

the effect on PO4 on zooxanthellae is unknown for me. it could fuel the growth of zooxanthellae since it's part of NPK. HOWEVER, PO4 prevents calcification of stony corals. Thus, PO4 is bad for stony corals. like LPS and SPS.

if you have time, read up on the buffer system of calcium, magnesium etc. You're schooling right? what are you studying? i'm studying a lot of bio and chemistry related modules and it really helps alot in understanding things related to marine hobby. I have a module on nothing but buffers and related formula. so if you have time and nothing to do, go read up on these to further improve your understanding.

[Goondoo]

you're welcome. i am not exactly sure how zooxanthellae works in the mechanism of photosynthesis. i can confirm you it's different from plants though.

plants make use of either C3, C4, CAM, or a combination of the three photosynthesis pathways, with the help of the electron transfer from photosystem 2 to photosystem 1 in the Z-scheme. it's very complicated.

for zooxanthellae, it's definitely different from that of plants. The exact mechanism i am unsure because i don't learn photosynthesis in marine organisms. only plants lol.

NO3 is needed in certain concentrations for photosynthesis. that's why SPS brown out in the presence of higher NO3 concentrations. zooxanthellae overgrow and cause the SPS to brown out.

the effect on PO4 on zooxanthellae is unknown for me. it could fuel the growth of zooxanthellae since it's part of NPK. HOWEVER, PO4 prevents calcification of stony corals. Thus, PO4 is bad for stony corals. like LPS and SPS.

if you have time, read up on the buffer system of calcium, magnesium etc. You're schooling right? what are you studying? i'm studying a lot of bio and chemistry related modules and it really helps alot in understanding things related to marine hobby. I have a module on nothing but buffers and related formula. so if you have time and nothing to do, go read up on these to further improve your understanding.

I coming to 40 liao lo.... lol...

Now only take work related course. Just finished a Specialist Diploma, and still considering if I should take bachelor at my age.... struggling like hell with the Specialist Dip already, really no confident to do a bachelor.

Thanks I just learnt more tonight.

[yikai]

I coming to 40 liao lo.... lol...

Now only take work related course. Just finished a Specialist Diploma, and still considering if I should take bachelor at my age.... struggling like hell with the Specialist Dip already, really no confident to do a bachelor.

Thanks I just learnt more tonight.

you just got your specialist diploma in? sounds fun. always nice to pursue your studies you know? learn something new everyday

if you have confidence and interest, go for your bachelor. i'm 18 and am forced to study so not counted. i admire you for pursuing studies!

[Goondoo]

you just got your specialist diploma in? sounds fun. always nice to pursue your studies you know? learn something new everyday

if you have confidence and interest, go for your bachelor. i'm 18 and am forced to study so not counted. i admire you for pursuing studies!

I had been shamelessly studying for the pass 17 years. From Part time 'N', 'O', NTC-2, Diploma in IT, various IT certificates like A+, MCP, MCSE etc, then got a scholarship to do a Diploma in Marketing from PAYM...

Change my career 2 years ago to Workplace Safety and Health and studying everything from scratch again... lol... a bit tired liao....

Exam it not the tough part as my logic understanding is reasonably good. Assignment is tough as most of the stuff are imaginative and logic is the marker's privilege.

Just submitted my last assignment for my Specialist Diploma in Workplace Safety and Health.

Anyone working in IT sector need a Safety Officer? lol