Amino acids and reef aquarium: Aspartic acid
- Important carbon source for some bacteria strains (Macleod et al. 1954, Berland et al. 1970)
- Aspartic acid is not an essential amino acid for crustaceans (Cowey and Forster 1971)
- As a DFAA reduced in surface water but found in much more larger amount in bottom and interstitial water (Clark et al. 1972)
- Causes a slight feeding response in a stony coral (Lehman and Porter 1973)
- Large contributor to DFAA in natural waters and is utilized effectively in water column (Williams et al. 1976)
- Heterotrophic microflagellates release Aspartic acid while feeding on bacteria (Andersson et al. 1985)
- Starved prawns utilize proline to synthesize aspartic acid to a greater extent than did the fed prawns (Smith and Dall 1991)
- One of most suitable carbon sources for planktonic bacteria (Donderski et al 1998)
- Very important part of organic matrix in stony corals and other organisms. Limiting factor in calcification, heterotrophic sources important (Allemand et al. 2001, Houlbreque et al 2004, Gupta et al 2006)
- One of the amino acids detected in zooxanthellae after ammonium enrichment in symbiotic anemone (Roberts et al 1999)
- Part of larval attachment inductor for sedentary polychaetes (Harder and Qian 1999)
- Aspartic acid significantly increase bacterial abundance, modified bacterial community structures on the biofilms, and elevated the inductive effect of the biofilms (Jin and Qian 2005)
References:
Allemand et al. Organic matrix synthesis in the scleractinian coral stylophora pistillata: role in biomineralization and potential target of the organotin tributyltin. The Journal of experimental biology (1998) vol. 201 (Pt 13) pp. 2001-9
Andersson et al. Release of amino acids and inorganic nutrients by heterotropic marine microflagellates. Marine Ecology Progress Series (1985)
Berland et al. Study of bacteria associated with marine algae in culture. Marine Biology (1970)
Clark et al. Dissolved Free Amino Acids in Southern California Coastal Waters. Limnology and oceanography (1972)
Cowey and Forster. The essential amino-acid requirements of the prawn Palaemon serratus. The growth of prawns on diets containing proteins of different amino-acid compositions. Marine Biology (1971)
Donderski et al. Utilization of Low Molecular Weight Organic Compounds by Marine Neustonic and Planktonic Bacteria. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies (1998)
Gupta et al. Aspartic acid concentrations in coral skeletons as recorders of past disturbances of metabolic rates. Coral reefs (2006) vol. 25 (4) pp. 599-606
Harder and Qian. Induction of larval attachment and metamorphosis in the serpulid polychaete Hydroides elegans by dissolved free amino acids: isolation and identification. Marine ecology progress series (1999)
Houlbreque et al. Interactions between zooplankton feeding, photosynthesis and skeletal growth in the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata. The Journal of experimental biology (2004) vol. 207 (Pt 9) pp. 1461-9
Jin and Qian. Amino acid exposure modulates the bioactivity of biofilms for larval settlement of Hydroides elegans by altering bacterial community components. Marine Ecology Progress Series (2005)
Lehman and Porter. Chemical Activation Of Feeding In The Caribbean Reef-Building Coral Montastrea Cavernosa. The Biological Bulletin (1973)
Macleod et al. Nutrition and metabolism of marine bacteria. I. Survey of nutritional requirements. Journal of bacteriology (1954) vol. 68 (6) pp. 680-6
Roberts et al. Primary site and initial products of ammonium assimilation in the symbiotic sea anemone Anemonia viridis. Marine Biology (1999)
Smith and Dall. Metabolism of proline by the tiger prawn Penaeus esculentus. Marine Biology (1991)
Williams et al. Amino acid uptake and respiration by marine heterotrophs. Marine Biology (1976)