Marine Biology Commons^™

A Histological Assessment Of The Effects Of Elevated Temperature And Nitrogen On The Symbiodinium Of Palythoa Toxica (Walsh And Bowers 1971), Molly Westbrook

Honors College

Coral reefs around the world are suffering mass bleaching events caused by a combination of stressors, including rising ocean temperatures, acidity, pollution, increased suspended sediments, and increasing nitrogen levels. Corals harbor a complex microbial ecosystem consisting of bacteria, and algal symbionts known as Symbiodinium. This study examines the effects of elevated temperature, a known cause of bleaching, and elevated nitrogen, an increasingly important potential stressor for reefs, on the Symbiodinium of a zoanthid coral, Palythoa toxica. A total of 65 polyps were subjected to 5 different water treatments of 2 levels of elevated nitrogen, and 2 levels of …