Articles tagged: heterotrophy
- Deep dive
Coral heterotrophy and the science of feeding
A deep dive into how much heterotrophy really contributes to a coral — why it has been underestimated, what a coral actually retains from food (nitrogen and fatty acids, not carbon), how digestion works, and how fish excretions feed corals. Recent peer-reviewed research (Communications Biology 2025, Aquaculture Nutrition 2025) and what it means in the aquarium.
- Deep dive
Zooplankton and phytoplankton in the reef aquarium — biological basis and ecological significance
Plankton biology, copepod fatty acids, the microbial loop and the ecological significance of heterotrophy in the reef aquarium.