Is the coral-algae symbiosis really ‘mutually beneficial’ for the partners?
This is a quote regarding bleaching (bold mine):
@Russ265 we aren't imagining things! ;) Branching corals (like birdsnests) are more prone specifically due to their structure. I think due to their increased surface area relative to other designs, but that's a guess – sill re-reading that article.
This is a quote regarding bleaching (bold mine):
Several environmental factors favour increased zooxanthellae densities (particularly on a per host cell basis), including: (i) elevated nutrient levels (e.g. dissolved inorganic nitrogen, DIN) in the surrounding sea water [20], elevation of the CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) in the surrounding sea water [21], and diffusive (i.e. branching) coral colony morphologies [22]. Experimental manipulations confirm the higher expulsion rate of zooxanthellae during periods of high irradiance in branching corals [23] and in corals exposed to DIN and pCO2 enrichment [24, 25].
@Russ265 we aren't imagining things! ;) Branching corals (like birdsnests) are more prone specifically due to their structure. I think due to their increased surface area relative to other designs, but that's a guess – sill re-reading that article.
