Incubation experiments were conducted in St. John, US Virgin Islands to investigate the macronutrient drawdown response of reef seawater microbial communities to exudates released from the coral species Porites astreoides and Gorgonia ventalina.

Incubation experiments were conducted in St. John, US Virgin Islands to investigate the composition of exudates released from different species of benthic organisms, and the response of reef seawater microbial communities to mixed exudates released from different species and to specific metabolites. Exudates were collected from the stony coral Porites astreoides, and the octocoral Gorgonia ventalina after an 8 hour incubation. Reef seawater microbial communities were incubated separately in the presence of exudates from P. astreoides and G. ventalina for 48 hours and samples were collected to monitor changes in macronutrient concentrations.