Selective Nutrient Incorporation May Underestimate Heterotrophy of a Mixotrophic Reef-Building Coral
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2025
DOI
10.1038/s42003-025-08621-8
Publication Title
Communications Biology
Volume
8
Issue
1
Pages
1285 (1-10)
Abstract
Mixotrophic reef-building corals acquire nutrition via photosynthate translocation from endosymbiotic microalgae and by heterotrophic prey/particle capture. Heterotrophy promotes resistance to, and recovery from, environmental stress, but quantifying coral heterotrophy remains difficult due to complex resource exchanges within the coral holobiont. We interrogated the response of multiple biomarkers to coral heterotrophy using fatty acid profiling and stable isotope analysis of Stylophora pistillata grown along a controlled feeding gradient from pure autotrophy to pure heterotrophy. We found that fatty acids and nitrogen were effectively incorporated into both coral host and symbiont tissues, while carbon, which is the primary target for conventional heterotrophy measurements, was not. Our study underscores a functional purpose of heterotrophy to retain essential elements (e.g., N) and molecules (fatty acids) for mixotrophic corals. Selective nutrient incorporation of heterotrophic material also suggests that coral ecologists are likely underestimating the contribution of heterotrophy to a common reef-building coral using conventional carbon isotope offset approaches.
Rights
© 2025 The Authors
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Data Availability
Article states: "Data is available at https://zenodo.org/records/16373686."
Original Publication Citation
Love, C. R., Stuhr, M., Fox, M. D., Radice, V. Z., Fine, M., McMahon, K. W., & Valentine, D. L. (2025). Selective nutrient incorporation may underestimate heterotrophy of a mixotrophic reef-building coral. Communications Biology, 8(1), 1-10, Article 1285. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08621-8
Repository Citation
Love, Connor R.; Stuhr, Marleen; Fox, Michael D.; Radice, Veronica Z.; Fine, Maoz; McMahon, Kelton W.; and Valentine, David L., "Selective Nutrient Incorporation May Underestimate Heterotrophy of a Mixotrophic Reef-Building Coral" (2025). Biological Sciences Faculty Publications. 659.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/biology_fac_pubs/659
ORCID
0000-0002-4867-0164 (Radice)
Transparent Peer Review File
42003_2025_8621_MOESM2_ESM.pdf (796 kB)
Supplemental Material
42003_2025_8621_MOESM3_ESM.pdf (2115 kB)
Reporting Summary
Included in
Animal Sciences Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Oceanography Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons