Biannual spawning, rapid larval development and evidence of self-seeding for scleractinian corals at an isolated system of reefs |
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Authors: | James P Gilmour Luke D Smith Richard M Brinkman |
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Institution: | (1) Australian Institute of Marine Science, MO96 Botany Biology Building, U.W.A., 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia;(2) Present address: Woodside Energy Ltd, 240 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA, 6000, Australia;(3) Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia |
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Abstract: | Some of the most important demographic parameters underlying the resilience of coral communities are determined by their patterns
of reproduction. In this study, a variety of methods were used to investigate the patterns of spawning, larval development
and dispersal for scleractinian corals at an isolated reef system off northwestern Australia. Two distinct periods of gamete
maturation and multi-specific spawning occurred each year, during Spring and Autumn, in contrast to the single season of mass
spawning described on most other reefs around Australia. The subsequent rates of embryogenesis and larval development were
among the fastest described for corals, with pre-competency periods of approximately 3 days. Within 3 days of spawning, slicks
of spawn and current drifters had dispersed up to 5 km, and up to 10 km after 6 days, while the times taken for drifters to
travel between adjacent (>240 km) reef systems were similar to or greater than the upper competency periods of most coral
larvae. Thus, under these conditions, the entire reef system, and to some extent the reefs within the system, may largely
be self-seeded; rates of immigration from other systems are probably insufficient to rapidly increase the recovery of communities
within years of a major disturbance. These results have implications for the management of isolated reef systems, highlighting
the need to minimize local stressors and maximize community resilience to the increasing scale of disturbance and habitat
fragmentation. |
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