The Physiology of Sclerochronology: Mechanism and Variation in Formation of High Density Bands in the Massive Coral Montastrea Annularis

高密度(HD)带标志着珊瑚礁骨骼X射线照片上的年度生长周期，推测是由于对温度和光线的季节性周期的生理反应而形成的。然而，目前还没有建立起任何珊瑚的形成机制。HD波段通常被用来定义年度波段，因此了解它的形成，以及对其时间变化的控制是很重要的。在这项研究中，将根据早期NSF资助获得的生理和形态数据，开发一个密度带如何形成的概念模型。这项工作的四个具体方面将包括：(1)建立环状Montastrea环珊瑚HD带形成的机制数学模型；(2)进行现场实验以检验模型的有效性；(3)评估HD带形成时间的遗传与环境因素；以及(4)评价珊瑚之间HD带与稳定同位素剖面之间的关系。这项研究将提供准确使用珊瑚密度带用于古气候学所需的环境生理数据类型。

High density (HD) bands mark annual cycles of growth in X- radiographs of reef coral skeletons and presumably form due to physiological response to seasonal cycles of temperature and light. However, the mechanism of formation has not been established for any coral. The HD band is usually used to define the annual band, and thus understanding its formation, and the controls on variability in its timing is important. In the research, a conceptual model of how density bands form, based on physiological and morphological data obtained with earlier NSF funding, is will be developed. Four specific aspects of the work will include: (1) development of a mechanistic mathematical model for the formation of the HD band of Montastrea annularis, a major coral used in paleoclimate work; (2) conducting an in situ experiment to test the validity of the model; (3) evaluation of the genetic vs. environmental components of variation in time of formation of the HD band; and (4) assessment of the variation among corals in the relationship between HD bands and stable isotope profiles. This study will provide the type of environmental physiological data needed for the precise use of coral density bands for paleoclimatology.