KARAKO-LAMPERT , Sarit

Corals acquire nutrients via the transfer of photosynthates by their endo-symbionts (autotrophy), or via zooplankton predation by the animal (heterotrophy). During stress events, corals lose their endosymbionts, and undergo starvation, unless they increase their heterotrophic capacities. Molecular mechanisms by which heterotrophy sustains...

The principal architects of coral reefs are the scleractinian corals; these species are divided in two major clades referred to as "robust'' and "complex'' corals. Although the molecular diversity of the "complex'' clade has received considerable attention, with several expressed sequence tag (EST) libraries and a complete genome sequence...