NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
Info
When it comes to the question of whether a species forms a symbiosis with zooxanthellae, water depth is not the only decisive criterion.
Leptogorgia violacea occurs in a depth range of 3 - 82 meters, i.e. a range that would provide a lot of sunlight in the shallow water zone and more than sufficient light for the photosynthesis of the endosymbionts at a depth of 82 meters.
The vast majority of stony corals are zooxanthellate in these water zones, except for various horn corals and soft corals.
Aquarists know that the color of the colourful corals is largely determined by the zooxanthellae; these corals have aragonite as a stabilizing skeleton.
So where do azooxanthellate corals such as Leptogorgia violacea get their sometimes very bright coloration from?
Azooxanthellate corals can come from depths of several hundred meters or from underwater caves and have bright red colors (e.g. black corals that have been made into jewelry and keep them for many years, while zooxanthellate corals without their Symbiodinium dinoflagellates turn white extremely quickly.
These bright colors are caused by the uptake of carotenoids, which are permanently stored in the stabilizing calcite skeleton during the growth phases.
These carotenoids are absorbed by the coral in the form of astaxanthin, which is produced in the sea by phytoplankton, algae and aquatic plants.
More detailed information can be found in the texts “Pink-to-Red Coral: A Guide to Determining Origin of Color” and “Identification of reddish pigments in octocorals by Raman spectroscopy” under “Related links”.
Leptogorgia violacea belongs to the Gorgoniidae family.
Like other azooxanthellate gorgonians, %lat feeds by ingesting plankton and organic particles from the water with its polyps.
Scientists are studying Leptogorgia violacea and similar species to understand coral biology, reef dynamics and the effects of environmental change on marine ecosystems.
Overall, Leptogorgia violacea is a beautiful and ecologically important coral species found in the vibrant underwater world of the Caribbean and surrounding regions.
The species name violacea is derived from the Latin “viola” meaning violet.
Synonyms:
Gorgonella violacea (Pallas, 1766) · unaccepted > superseded combination
Gorgonia violacea Pallas, 1766 · unaccepted > superseded combination (original combination)
Lophogorgia violacea (Pallas, 1766) · unaccepted > superseded combination
Pterogorgia violacea (Pallas, 1766) · unaccepted > superseded combination
Verrucella violacea (Pallas, 1766) · unaccepted > superseded combination
Leptogorgia violacea occurs in a depth range of 3 - 82 meters, i.e. a range that would provide a lot of sunlight in the shallow water zone and more than sufficient light for the photosynthesis of the endosymbionts at a depth of 82 meters.
The vast majority of stony corals are zooxanthellate in these water zones, except for various horn corals and soft corals.
Aquarists know that the color of the colourful corals is largely determined by the zooxanthellae; these corals have aragonite as a stabilizing skeleton.
So where do azooxanthellate corals such as Leptogorgia violacea get their sometimes very bright coloration from?
Azooxanthellate corals can come from depths of several hundred meters or from underwater caves and have bright red colors (e.g. black corals that have been made into jewelry and keep them for many years, while zooxanthellate corals without their Symbiodinium dinoflagellates turn white extremely quickly.
These bright colors are caused by the uptake of carotenoids, which are permanently stored in the stabilizing calcite skeleton during the growth phases.
These carotenoids are absorbed by the coral in the form of astaxanthin, which is produced in the sea by phytoplankton, algae and aquatic plants.
More detailed information can be found in the texts “Pink-to-Red Coral: A Guide to Determining Origin of Color” and “Identification of reddish pigments in octocorals by Raman spectroscopy” under “Related links”.
Leptogorgia violacea belongs to the Gorgoniidae family.
Like other azooxanthellate gorgonians, %lat feeds by ingesting plankton and organic particles from the water with its polyps.
Scientists are studying Leptogorgia violacea and similar species to understand coral biology, reef dynamics and the effects of environmental change on marine ecosystems.
Overall, Leptogorgia violacea is a beautiful and ecologically important coral species found in the vibrant underwater world of the Caribbean and surrounding regions.
The species name violacea is derived from the Latin “viola” meaning violet.
Synonyms:
Gorgonella violacea (Pallas, 1766) · unaccepted > superseded combination
Gorgonia violacea Pallas, 1766 · unaccepted > superseded combination (original combination)
Lophogorgia violacea (Pallas, 1766) · unaccepted > superseded combination
Pterogorgia violacea (Pallas, 1766) · unaccepted > superseded combination
Verrucella violacea (Pallas, 1766) · unaccepted > superseded combination
