EFFECT OF EMERSION AND REIMMERSION ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF Pavona cactus, A REEF-BUILDING CORAL IN INTERTIDAL ZONES

Abstract

Intertidal environments periodically experience extreme variations in temperature, oxygen, and radiation. The preparation for oxidative stress (POS) theory suggests that corals like Pavona cactus develop antioxidant mechanisms to mitigate damage from oxygen deprivation. Laboratory experiments aimed at better understanding the physiology of these cnidarians observed that air exposure reduces metabolism and increases Catalase activity by 1.18-fold, while Glutathione S-Transferase showed no significant variation. Lipid damage was recorded during emersion, and DNA damage occurred after reoxygenation, indicating partial but limited adaptation in these reef-building corals.  

Keywords: Intertidal environment; Oxygen; Oxidative stress; Reactive Oxygen Species; Hypoxia.