In recent years there has been a great amount of varied and original data produced on lighting and corals for the reef aquarium. By contrast, there have been much fewer articles on the effects and importance of water flow in the reef aquarium.…
I began this article series with a basic introduction to the mechanisms by which water flow affects the gas exchange rate of corals. I followed the introduction with a review of scientific papers on the interaction of water flow and corals as well as my own research demonstrating the effect of water flow speed on the respiration and photosynthesis rates of corals.…
The following recording is an interview with Dr. Joseph Pawlik, a marine ecologist at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington (UNCW) who focuses his research interests on the chemical ecology of reef sponges.…
In the first part of the article series I introduced the mechanismsby which water flow affects the respiration and photosynthesis of corals. To recapitulate, I described how rates of photosynthesis and respiration are driven by diffusion rates which are dependent on concentration gradients.…
In the first part of the article series I introduced the mechanisms by which water flow affects the respiration and photosynthesis of corals. To recapitulate, I described how rates of photosynthesis and respiration are driven by diffusion rates which are dependent on concentration gradients.…
Water flow is important for many aspects of coral biology. Water flow determines how efficiently corals capture food, it helps corals rid themselves of metabolic waste and it also determines where corals occur by distributing their spawn and gametes.…