Since CLOCK proteins serve as an essential activator of downstream elements in pathways critical to the regulation of circadian rhythms in eukaryotes [ 108], it would be worthy to examine how transcription of the RAX-like homeobox protein in this coral contributes to the development of circadian functions by activation of kaiC, per and Clock genes.
Apart from nitrogen fixation, the coral microbiota contributes to other nitrogen-cycling processes, such as nitrification, ammonification and denitrification [ 207, 208].
"Over the last 10,000 years, elkhorn coral has been one of the three most important Caribbean corals contributing to reef growth and development," the NOAA website explains.
The proportion of total DET contributed among the coral animal and algal symbionts changed significantly across RDX-exposure treatments (p <0.001) where the relative contribution of algal symbionts increased with increasing RDX concentration.
The group represented as "other" consisted of sequences where the phylogenetic origin was not representative of the two major eukaryotic groups contributing to the coral holobiont (i.e. fungi), or could not be definitively assigned to only one of these groups (i.e. various protists).
P. rus is a fast-growing species that covers large areas of reefs and contributes greatly to the coral coverage.
Soft corals contribute greatly to reef construction by the cementing action of the skeletal debris (spicules), filling in spaces between hard coral skeletons.
At different prey concentrations, these four mechanisms may contribute to feeding impairment of the coral host to varying degrees.
Revealed also by this treatment are genes that implicate exocytosis as a cellular process contributing to a breakdown in the metabolically essential partnership between the coral host and endosymbiotic algae, which manifests as coral bleaching.
In addition, the coral response to thermal stress [43], injury [44], [48] and infection [23], [49], [50] also contributes to elevated ROS in host tissues.
