Ecological Archives E089-069-A1

Mia O. Hoogenboom, Sean R. Connolly, and Kenneth R. N. Anthony. 2008. Interactions between morphological and physiological plasticity optimize energy acquisition in corals. Ecology 89:1144–1154.

Appendix A. Geometric rendition of model colonies.

FigA1
 

   FIG. A1. (A) Points (p1 and p2) on the colony surface are identified by their distance from the edge of tiers of known angle of inclination (aA and aB), and their location on cardinal axes (and ). In the morning (B) direct light approaches points on the colony surface at an angle and the intensity of scattered light is low. At midday (C) the sun is directly overhead, and direct and scattered radiance are high. The range of angles from which light may approach p1 is smaller than for p2 due to its position on the lower tier. The angle is the refracted angle of direct light incident to the water surface at angle , calculated from Snell’s law, as:
(A.1)
where 1.33 is the index of refraction of light moving across the air/water interface (see Appendix C for further detail).

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