Biocarriers of minerals to corals and zooxanthellae

Abstract

Coral reefs are fundamental structures for aquatic ecosystems and, therefore, for cultural and economic activities. Corals are invertebrates that live in symbiosis with microalgae known as zooxanthellae, and this relationship can be affected by environmental stressors (temperature and ocean acidification), leading to the bleaching process, debilitating and even preventing the animal's survival. Mineral supplementation, mainly with iron and manganese, is presented as a strategy to increase the resilience of these organisms, which takes bioinorganic chemistry to a prominent role in the effort to counteract the effects of anthropogenic climate change. In this project, well-defined iron and manganese complexes will be produced and characterized. Their effects on growth and photosynthetic activity will be studied in zooxanthellae, and the best acting compounds will have their use validated on the growth of Millepora alcicornis coral, both in confined and in open sea (in this case, using a controlled release system based on in the reuse of waste from the fishing industry). The objective is to propose metallic complexes (or a mixture of them), capable of increasing the viability of corals in impacted environments. A possible outcome of this study is also to present a possibly patentable system of metal complexes included in a biodegradable controlled release system, which can be used both in the treatment of corals in rehabilitation and in the prevention of damage in the field, especially during more severe summers. (AU)