A unique reproductive strategy in the mushroom coral Fungia fungites

Abstract

The vast majority of scleractinian corals are either simultaneous hermaphrodites or gonochoric. Exceptions to these are rare. Nevertheless, species belonging to the family Fungiidae are known to exhibit a wide variety of reproductive strategies. We examined the reproductive ecology of the mushroom coral Fungia fungites in Okinawa. Our study was conducted as part of a long-term, wide-ranging project (2009-2010 and 2013-2017) which explored the unique reproductive strategies of several species belonging to the family Fungiidae. Here we report the co-occurrence of males, females, and hermaphrodite individuals in a longterm monitored population of the reproductively atypical brooder coral F. fungites within the family Fungiidae. F. fungites status as a single-polyped solitary coral, was used to perform manipulative experiments to determine the degree

Contrasting coral community structures between natural and artificial substrates at Koh Tao, Gulf of Thailand

“…The coral Lobactis scutaria has been found to exude large amounts of nematocyst-enriched mucus when in contact with neighbouring corals (Chadwick, 1988), and to begin producing and releasing gametes as early as 1.5 years old and as small as 25 mm (Goffredo and Chadwick-Furman, 2003). In conjunction with the mobility of free-living species and their capacity to shed sediments (Bongaerts et al, 2012;Hoeksema and Bongaerts, 2016), fungiid corals have been shown to be highly plastic in their reproductive methods (Eyal-Shaham et al, 2020) and be well-suited to thrive in various reef environments (Hoeksema and Moka, 1989;Chadwick-Furman and Loya, 1992;Hoeksema, 2012b;Hoeksema, 2012a).…”

Energy allocation trade-offs as a function of age in fungiid corals

“…However, the literature suggested that F. fungites might differ in reproductive mode across its range, potentially enabling a comparison of energy investment between spawning and brooding for a single species. F. fungites is common in Okinawa (Loya and Sakai, 2008) where it has a protracted, four-month reproductive season, during which brooded planulae are released daily for 4-6 weeks (Munasik, 1999;Loya et al, 2009;Eyal-Shaham et al, 2020). In contrast to the Okinawa population, the only record to date for reproduction of F. fungites on the GBR implies that there it behaves as a broadcast spawner (Willis et al, 1985; but note that no available data on the reproductive cycle of this species on the GBR).…”

Symbiodiniaceae conduct under natural bleaching stress during advanced gametogenesis stages of the mesophotic coralAlveopora allingi

“…Evolution processes through sexual reproduction and gene-shuffling is the primary adaptive capability to environmental changes and enabling extension to and occupation of new ecological niches (Rundle et al 2006). In shallow corals, diverse strategies of sexuality were discovered during recent years (Baird et al 2009; Harrison 2011; Eyal-Shaham et al 2019; Eyal-Shaham et al 2020) and references within) but our knowledge of the reproduction of MCE corals remains limited (Shlesinger and Loya 2019).…”