Response to Comment on Trophic strategy and bleaching resistance in reef-building corals

Recently, we published a novel method used to assess the trophic niches of different coral species and demonstrated that their nutrition varied considerably, with some species highly dependent on their photosynthetic algal symbionts and others able to feed on plankton to meet energetic requirements. Adjustments to the use of this tool are necessary when it is applied to other scientific questions and symbiotic organisms. We respond to a comment highlighting a risk of bias in the methods, discuss suggested adjustments, and propose further refinements to improve method robustness.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates significant variations in the trophic niches of different coral species, with some heavily dependent on photosynthetic algal symbionts and others capable of feeding on plankton. Adjustments are needed when using this method for other scientific questions and symbiotic organisms, and further refinements are proposed to enhance method robustness.