Coral larvae for restoration and research: a large-scale method for rearing <i>Acropora millepora</i> larvae, inducing settlement, and establishing symbiosis

Pollock, F. Joseph; Katz, Sefano M.; Water, Jeroen A. J. M. van de; Davies, Sarah W.; Hein, Margaux Y.; Torda, Gergely; Matz, Mikhail V.; Beltran, Victor H.; Buerger, Patrick; Puill-Stephan, Eneour; Abrego, David; Bourne, David G.; Willis, Bette L.

doi:10.7717/peerj.3732

Cited by 76 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…Whether sexual compatibility is determined entirely by genetics or is also context-dependent remains an open question. Nevertheless, because even a modest percentage of unfertilized eggs in larval cultures can cause significant overall mortality (Pollock et al 2017), the fertilization success of a coral genet should be monitored whenever possible to improve breeding outcomes. Fertilization success between two-parent crosses is easily measured by counting the proportion of cleaving eggs two hours post-fertilization, whereas measuring fertilization success of single parental genets in batch cultures requires genotyping of offspring , Davies et al 2015a).…”

Section: Sexual Propagation and Selection Of Donor Coloniesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Considerations for maximizing the adaptive potential of restored coral populations in the western Atlantic

Baums

Baker

Davies

et al. 2019

Ecological Applications

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Active coral restoration typically involves two interventions: crossing gametes to facilitate sexual larval propagation; and fragmenting, growing, and outplanting adult colonies to enhance asexual propagation. From an evolutionary perspective, the goal of these efforts is to establish self-sustaining, sexually reproducing coral populations that have sufficient genetic and phenotypic variation to adapt to changing environments. Here, we provide concrete guidelines to help restoration practitioners meet this goal for most Caribbean species of interest. To enable the persistence of coral populations exposed to severe selection pressure from many stressors, a mixed provenance strategy is suggested: genetically unique colonies (genets) should be sourced both locally as well as from more distant, environmentally distinct sites. Sourcing three to four genets per reef along environmental gradients should be sufficient to capture a majority of intraspecies genetic diversity. It is best for practitioners to propagate genets with one or more phenotypic traits that are predicted to be valuable in the future, such as low partial mortality, high wound healing rate, high skeletal growth rate, bleaching resilience, infectious disease resilience, and high sexual reproductive output. Some effort should also be reserved for underperforming genets because colonies that grow poorly in nurseries sometimes thrive once returned to the reef and may harbor genetic variants with as yet unrecognized value. Outplants should be clustered in groups of four to six genets to enable successful fertilization upon maturation. Current evidence indicates that translocating genets among distant reefs is unlikely to be problematic from a population genetic perspective but will likely provide substantial adaptive benefits. Similarly, inbreeding depression is not a concern given that current practices only raise first-generation offspring. Thus, proceeding with the proposed management strategies even in the absence of a detailed population genetic analysis of the focal species at sites targeted for restoration is the best course of action. These basic guidelines should help maximize the adaptive potential of reef-building corals facing a rapidly changing environment.

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Section: Sexual Propagation and Selection Of Donor Coloniesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Considerations for maximizing the adaptive potential of restored coral populations in the western Atlantic

Baums

Baker

Davies

et al. 2019

Ecological Applications

Self Cite

187

198

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Acropora spp. are common target species for reef restoration because of their fast growth-rates relative to other scleractinian corals and their contribution to structural complexity (Craggs et al, 2017;Pollock et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Life Cycle of the Acropora Coral-Eating Flatworm (AEFW), Prosthiostomum acroporae; The Influence of Temperature and Management Guidelines

et al. 2019

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As coral aquaculture is increasing around the world for reef restoration and trade, mitigating the impact of coral predators, pathogens and parasites is necessary for optimal growth. The Acropora coral-eating flatworm (AEFW), Prosthiostomum acroporae (Platyhelminthes: Polycladida: Prosthiostomidae) feeds on wild and cultivated Acropora species and its inadvertent introduction into reef tanks can lead to the rapid death of coral colonies. To guide the treatment of infested corals we investigated the flatworm's life cycle parameters at a range of temperatures that represent those found in reef tanks, coral aquaculture facilities and seasonal fluctuations in the wild. We utilized P. acroporae from a long-term in vivo culture on Acropora species to examine the effects of temperature (3 • C increments from 21 to 30 • C) on flatworm embryonation period, hatching success, hatchling longevity, and time to sexual maturity. Our findings show that warmer seawater shortened generation times; at 27 • C it took, on average, 11 days for eggs to hatch, and 35 days for flatworms to reach sexual maturity, giving a minimum generation time of 38 days, whereas at 24 • C the generation time was 64 days. Warmer seawater (24-30 • C) also increased egg hatching success compared to cooler conditions (21 • C). These results indicate that warmer temperatures lead to higher population densities of P. acroporae. Temperature significantly increased the growth rate of P. acroporae, with individuals reaching a larger size at sexual maturity in warmer temperatures, but it did not influence hatchling longevity. Hatchlings, which can swim as well as crawl, can survive between 0.25 and 9 days in the absence of Acropora, and could therefore disperse between coral colonies and inter-connected aquaria. We used our data to predict embryonation duration and time to sexual maturity at 21-30 • C, and discuss how to optimize current treatments to disrupt the flatworm's life cycle in captivity.

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“…Methods for harvesting coral spawn and rearing competent coral larvae are well established and research into scaling up gamete collection and larval rearing processes is ongoing 19,20 . While this occurs, determining the optimal densities of coral larvae to supply to degraded reefs to maximise successful recruitment will assist effective distribution of the reared larvae.…”

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confidence: 99%

Density of coral larvae can influence settlement, post-settlement colony abundance and coral cover in larval restoration

Cameron

Harrison

2020

Sci Rep

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Successful recruitment of new individuals is essential for recovery of degraded coral reefs. Enhancing supply of coral larvae increases initial settlement, however post-settlement survival can be influenced by density-dependent processes. We investigated the influence of larval density on settlement, colony abundance and growth to 24 months for Acropora tenuis in the northwestern Philippines, to determine whether larval supply can be optimised to maximise successful recruitment. Thirty different densities of coral larvae were enclosed for five days around settlement tiles and highest total settlement occurred on tiles with highest larval densities. After 12 months, however, colony abundance and coral cover was lower on high density tiles (supplied with ~2,500-5,000 larvae) than tiles supplied with ~1,000-2,000 larvae. Coral cover at 24 months remained highest on tiles supplied with ~1,000-2,500 larvae. Larval density influenced larval substratum selection, with proportionally fewer larvae settling in typically preferred locations as density increased. We conclude that larval density can influence post-settlement colony abundance and coral cover to 12 months, with coral cover trends persisting to 24 months. We show that optimising larval densities can maximise coral recruitment and growth, however oversupply of larvae at very high densities can have negative outcomes for larval restoration.

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Coral larvae for restoration and research: a large-scale method for rearing Acropora millepora larvae, inducing settlement, and establishing symbiosis

Cited by 76 publications

References 50 publications

Considerations for maximizing the adaptive potential of restored coral populations in the western Atlantic

Considerations for maximizing the adaptive potential of restored coral populations in the western Atlantic

The Life Cycle of the Acropora Coral-Eating Flatworm (AEFW), Prosthiostomum acroporae; The Influence of Temperature and Management Guidelines

Density of coral larvae can influence settlement, post-settlement colony abundance and coral cover in larval restoration

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