Lets hear your SPS tricks
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Scooterman
Well-known member
That is my point, they all have lots of brilliant colors!
lol sorry I must have misunderstood you. Pigments are kinda seperate from how a how absorbs light. A coral absobs light via its zoox algae (which 99% of the time is brown) the pigments that a coral has play different roles, but are indirectly related. tough subject.
Mike
Mike
Scooterman
Well-known member
ok, if that's true, then several things has to be considered with low light corals. They actually require less light, either because they are more efficient than other corals in converting acquired light into energy, which is absorbed from the outer zoox algae or their zoox algae is more efficient but I don't think this can't be true. Light is absorbed through color, if the zoox is still the same brown, then the coral that relies on this zoox for its light source is more efficient. The Zoox algae is the food gatherer, the coral pigmentation is the mouth by which it takes in this food(energy), the fact that they have very bright colors would seem to be a tale tale sign of this. Does this make any sense or I'm way off base. I guess the absorbsion process is what I'm trying to understand better, that part is usually just stated that hey the coral absorbs light through its zoox algae but doesn't not tell how. I'm pointing this out because Any matter anywhere that has Any color whatsoever, Absorbs light. Ok maybe I need to let things be LOL!
LOL Scoot great post and I love it, but your way off base, sorta. You forgot one very important thing, low light corals get thier food from capturing food and thus dont rely on the thier zoox for food manufacturing.
Ok here is the real short version of the light gather story.
Zoox are diatom algae (yes same bread as the nasty version) difference is that they have a better developed antenna. Energy for light comes in, in the form of Photons. the antenna of the zoo capture it and transfer it through a system called the electron transfer system (ETS) it goes to a reaction center pigments. from here energy into chemical energy by membrane/protein-associated molecules, leading to formation of ATP and NADPH . Bottom line they create the food a coral needs. Thier are also dark reactons that convert co2 and/or p and/or N.
So lets bring it back to the SPS coral. up to 98% of its energy comes from the above process. It will suppliment in two ways direct absorbtion through its tissue of both P and N. the other way is that they farm thier own bacteria. they spew out a mucus film, the film is directly attacked by bacteria trying to reduce it. the coral then through its cilca draws the mucus back in and consumes it. that it how this type of coral feeds. Thus when I mention the blender mush I always say the correct size is critical. as long as the food has P or N in it they can use it, thus it doesnt matter if it is alive or dead. if it is alive its more likely to get away, so dead is better.
With low light coral, they have evolved differently. they live in areas that are not condusive for light gathering, thus thier prey capture techniques are far superior (or they die) most of these corals use nemacyst's. these are tiny barbed spears that they shoot out to capture the food. but anyway they are a different topic. I hope I explained it well enough scooter let me know if I didnt.
Mike
Ok here is the real short version of the light gather story.
Zoox are diatom algae (yes same bread as the nasty version) difference is that they have a better developed antenna. Energy for light comes in, in the form of Photons. the antenna of the zoo capture it and transfer it through a system called the electron transfer system (ETS) it goes to a reaction center pigments. from here energy into chemical energy by membrane/protein-associated molecules, leading to formation of ATP and NADPH . Bottom line they create the food a coral needs. Thier are also dark reactons that convert co2 and/or p and/or N.
So lets bring it back to the SPS coral. up to 98% of its energy comes from the above process. It will suppliment in two ways direct absorbtion through its tissue of both P and N. the other way is that they farm thier own bacteria. they spew out a mucus film, the film is directly attacked by bacteria trying to reduce it. the coral then through its cilca draws the mucus back in and consumes it. that it how this type of coral feeds. Thus when I mention the blender mush I always say the correct size is critical. as long as the food has P or N in it they can use it, thus it doesnt matter if it is alive or dead. if it is alive its more likely to get away, so dead is better.
With low light coral, they have evolved differently. they live in areas that are not condusive for light gathering, thus thier prey capture techniques are far superior (or they die) most of these corals use nemacyst's. these are tiny barbed spears that they shoot out to capture the food. but anyway they are a different topic. I hope I explained it well enough scooter let me know if I didnt.
Mike
ReefShack
sps junkie
>I'm pointing this out because Any matter anywhere that has Any color whatsoever, Absorbs light.<
I'm pretty sure the color you see isn't absorbed but rather reflected. That aside, as mojo points out the color you see reflected by zoox tends to be brown. Ancillary pigmentation, from what I've read, still isn't 100% understood in terms of why it's there. UV? Camouflage? Tuxedo to take the coral next door out for a date...
I'm pretty sure the color you see isn't absorbed but rather reflected. That aside, as mojo points out the color you see reflected by zoox tends to be brown. Ancillary pigmentation, from what I've read, still isn't 100% understood in terms of why it's there. UV? Camouflage? Tuxedo to take the coral next door out for a date...
LOL reefshack never thought about the tuxedo theory. Pigment do play a role, but it is a complex one, they are basically protiens. let me try to figure out how to translate thier involvement into english and see if I can explain it further.
Mike
Mike
Scooterman
Well-known member
Unless it is white, it will absorb light at some level, this is fact. Mike I think I get where your going with this, I also think I was looking at it from a scientific point of view but you answered my question. I wanted to understand the transfer of light converted food to the coral. Light is absorbed & reflected by all matter regardless, depending on the actual color of the matter being hit by the source light but not as food in the low light corals, I've cluttered that part up.
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Scooterman
Well-known member
yea, your right, I'm here arguing about how corals eat lol!
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Scooterman
Well-known member
yep, I confused me!
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