Jung Jonathan, Ardisana Ryanne, Vermeij Mark J A, Murphy Erin L
Climate-Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz 55128, Germany.
Department of Geology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
R Soc Open Sci. 2025 Jun 25;12(6):250208. doi: 10.1098/rsos.250208. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Nutrient pollution has been a major contributor to coral decline throughout the Caribbean. Coral physiological responses to excess nutrients vary with nutrient forms (e.g. nitrate or ammonia), concentrations and nitrogen-to-phosphate (N : P) ratios. However, how these responses differ across nutrient contexts remains understudied. We show that photosymbiont densities respond differently to excess nitrogen in phosphorus-limited versus nitrogen-limited environments. Along Curaçao's leeward reef, excess nitrogen significantly decreased ( < 0.05) photosymbiont density under phosphorus-limited conditions (N : P > 16) with low phosphorus (mean = 0.07 µM ± 0.06). In contrast, data from Barbados indicate a significant increase ( < 0.01) in photosymbiont density under nitrogen-limited conditions (N : P < 16). These findings highlight how nutrient contexts shape coral responses to nitrogen inputs, emphasizing the need to consider nutrient dynamics in coral conservation strategies.
营养污染一直是整个加勒比地区珊瑚数量减少的主要原因。珊瑚对过量营养的生理反应因营养形式（如硝酸盐或氨）、浓度以及氮磷比（N : P）的不同而有所差异。然而，这些反应在不同营养环境下的差异仍未得到充分研究。我们发现，在磷限制环境与氮限制环境中，光合共生体密度对过量氮的反应有所不同。在库拉索岛的背风礁，在磷限制条件下（N : P > 16）且磷含量较低（平均值 = 0.07 µM ± 0.06）时，过量氮显著降低（< 0.05）了光合共生体密度。相比之下，来自巴巴多斯的数据表明，在氮限制条件下（N : P < 16），光合共生体密度显著增加（< 0.01）。这些发现凸显了营养环境如何塑造珊瑚对氮输入的反应，强调了在珊瑚保护策略中考虑营养动态的必要性。
