抄録
The coral Galaxea fascicularis exhibits marked variation in polyp color and several color morphs have been described (e.g. brown polyp with green oral disc, BG; brown with green septal tentacles, Gs; brown with white fluorescent tentacles, Wt). Color morphs of sessile marine invertebrate species may exhibit considerable differences in their capacity to absorb UV radiation, although only a few studies have examined intra-species variation in the UV-absorbing compounds, mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs). The objective of this study was to investigate possible differences in the composition and quantity of MAAs in the coral tissue and symbiotic algae of several G. fascicularis color morphs. Marked differences in the composition and quantity of MAAs were found between the BG and Gs/Wt morphs of G. fascicularis, both in the coral tissue and freshly isolated symbiotic algae. Future studies, especially genetic analyses of corals and their symbionts, are necessary to understand whether these observed differences in the composition and quantity of MAAs reflect phylogenetic or biogeographical differences among the corals.
