D regressed on the menthol concentration used. As shown in Fig. 1B, the time for 50 coral bleaching was significantly correlated with the menthol concentration used (p,0.0001), and the correlation was fit to the linear regression equation: y = 59.11?8.76x (r2 = 0.983). Although 0.58 mM menthol could bleach Isopora comparatively rapidly, continuous incubation at that concentration for 24 h always caused high (.80 ) mortality. In order to obtain a rapid and gentle bleaching procedure, the duration of menthol treatment was reduced to 8 h following by 16 h of resting in an aquarium without menthol, and the mortality rate was significantly reduced in this way. With the protocol described in Fig. 2, 4 repeats of the above treatment/ resting cycle could expel almost all Symbiodinium from Isopora and Stylophora (see as Fig. 3) within 4,8 days after being maintained in an aquarium without menthol, which resulted in respective 0 and ,10 mortalities in aposymbiotic Stylophora and Isopora preparations. It was also found that Isopora and Stylophora released Symbiodinium in different modes during menthol treatment. Symbiodinium released by menthol-treated Isopora was in a cloudy suspension and retained some PSII activity (Fv/Fm = 0.3,0.5), but that from menthol-treated Stylophora aggregated into black granules which displayed no detectable PSII activity. When coral was bleached, a Epigenetic Reader Domain nutrient cocktail was fed from day 5 for aposymbiotic Isopora, but aposymbiotic Stylophora was not fed due to its physiological and biochemical performances being comparable to its symbiotic counterpart (see below). As shown in Fig. 3, the aposymbiotic and symbiotic Isopora and Stylophora displayed comparably healthy shapes to each other. The extents of physiological and biochemical comparability between symbiotic and aposymbiotic corals were further examined. In this study, the term, aposymbiotic host, represents freshly bleached corals which were examined at 6,10 days after menthol treatment. When comparing respiration rates, as shown in Fig. 4, those of the aposymbiotic hosts were 12.561.1 nmol min21cm22 (n = 5) for Isopora and 9.061.2 nmol min21cm22 (n = 5) for Stylophora. These data did not significantly differ from their symbiotic counterparts [10.360.5 nmol min21cm22 (n = 7) for Isopora, F1,11 = 3.996, p.0.05; and 9.061.1 nmol min21cm22 (n = 9) for Stylophora, F1,12 = 0.000, p.0.05]. Feeding aposymbiotic Isopora and Stylophora with the nutrient cocktail did not produce significant differences between the symbiotic and aposymbiotic corals (data not shown). Biochemical indices (MDH, GDH, and the FAA pool) in the host homogenate were further examined. As shown in Table 2, GDH activity, total FAAs, and “essential” FAAs in Isopora were significantly reduced by 50.0 , 44.7 , and 43.7 , respectively, after bleaching (p,0.05). However, depletion of Symbiodinium produced no difference in MDH activities between the symbiotic and aposymbiotic Isopora (p.0.05). “Essential” FAAs noted here followed the definition applied to the sea anemone Aiptasia pulchella [19]. Levels of GDH and FAAs (total and essential) in aposymbiotic Isopora could be reverted to comparable levels of the symbiotic counterpart by feeding with nutrient A. However, feeding with nutrient B (containing a mixture of Autophagy essential FAAs) was less effective than nutrient A in reverting GDH and FAA levels back to those of the symbiotic counterpart. Total FAAMenthol-Induced Aposymbiotic Coral PerformanceFigure 1.D regressed on the menthol concentration used. As shown in Fig. 1B, the time for 50 coral bleaching was significantly correlated with the menthol concentration used (p,0.0001), and the correlation was fit to the linear regression equation: y = 59.11?8.76x (r2 = 0.983). Although 0.58 mM menthol could bleach Isopora comparatively rapidly, continuous incubation at that concentration for 24 h always caused high (.80 ) mortality. In order to obtain a rapid and gentle bleaching procedure, the duration of menthol treatment was reduced to 8 h following by 16 h of resting in an aquarium without menthol, and the mortality rate was significantly reduced in this way. With the protocol described in Fig. 2, 4 repeats of the above treatment/ resting cycle could expel almost all Symbiodinium from Isopora and Stylophora (see as Fig. 3) within 4,8 days after being maintained in an aquarium without menthol, which resulted in respective 0 and ,10 mortalities in aposymbiotic Stylophora and Isopora preparations. It was also found that Isopora and Stylophora released Symbiodinium in different modes during menthol treatment. Symbiodinium released by menthol-treated Isopora was in a cloudy suspension and retained some PSII activity (Fv/Fm = 0.3,0.5), but that from menthol-treated Stylophora aggregated into black granules which displayed no detectable PSII activity. When coral was bleached, a nutrient cocktail was fed from day 5 for aposymbiotic Isopora, but aposymbiotic Stylophora was not fed due to its physiological and biochemical performances being comparable to its symbiotic counterpart (see below). As shown in Fig. 3, the aposymbiotic and symbiotic Isopora and Stylophora displayed comparably healthy shapes to each other. The extents of physiological and biochemical comparability between symbiotic and aposymbiotic corals were further examined. In this study, the term, aposymbiotic host, represents freshly bleached corals which were examined at 6,10 days after menthol treatment. When comparing respiration rates, as shown in Fig. 4, those of the aposymbiotic hosts were 12.561.1 nmol min21cm22 (n = 5) for Isopora and 9.061.2 nmol min21cm22 (n = 5) for Stylophora. These data did not significantly differ from their symbiotic counterparts [10.360.5 nmol min21cm22 (n = 7) for Isopora, F1,11 = 3.996, p.0.05; and 9.061.1 nmol min21cm22 (n = 9) for Stylophora, F1,12 = 0.000, p.0.05]. Feeding aposymbiotic Isopora and Stylophora with the nutrient cocktail did not produce significant differences between the symbiotic and aposymbiotic corals (data not shown). Biochemical indices (MDH, GDH, and the FAA pool) in the host homogenate were further examined. As shown in Table 2, GDH activity, total FAAs, and “essential” FAAs in Isopora were significantly reduced by 50.0 , 44.7 , and 43.7 , respectively, after bleaching (p,0.05). However, depletion of Symbiodinium produced no difference in MDH activities between the symbiotic and aposymbiotic Isopora (p.0.05). “Essential” FAAs noted here followed the definition applied to the sea anemone Aiptasia pulchella [19]. Levels of GDH and FAAs (total and essential) in aposymbiotic Isopora could be reverted to comparable levels of the symbiotic counterpart by feeding with nutrient A. However, feeding with nutrient B (containing a mixture of essential FAAs) was less effective than nutrient A in reverting GDH and FAA levels back to those of the symbiotic counterpart. Total FAAMenthol-Induced Aposymbiotic Coral PerformanceFigure 1.