Phosphate Enrichment Hampers Development of Juvenile Acropora digitifera Coral by Inhibiting Skeleton Formation

Coral reef degradation due to various local stresses, such as nutrient enrichment and terrestrial run-off into coastal waters, is an increasing global concern. Inorganic phosphates have been considered to possibly inhibit skeleton formation in corals. Despite many studies available on the effects of nutrients on corals, a clear consensus on how nutrients exert deteriorative effects on corals has not been established satisfactorily. In this study, we examined the effects of phosphates and nitrates on in vitro aragonite CaCO₃ formation by using biogenic polyamines and in vivo aragonite formation in the skeleton of juvenile Acropora digitifera corals. We showed that the phosphates at similar concentrations clearly inhibited both in vitro and in vivo CaCO₃ formation. In contrast, nitrates inhibited neither in vitro aragonite CaCO₃ formation nor in vivo aragonite formation in juvenile coral skeleton. Furthermore, our findings showed that inhibition of coral skeleton formation was due to absorption of phosphate on the skeleton, which inorganically inhibited normal development of juvenile coral skeleton.