Energetics, competency, and long-distance dispersal of planula larvae of the coral Pocillopora damicornis

Richmond, Robert H.

doi:10.1007/bf00392790

Cited by 342 publications

(322 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

302

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Only sperm are released, and fertilized eggs are retained within the colony and released as swimming planula larvae. These corals often reproduce on a lunar cycle for a number of months per year (25), and the large larvae that are released probably do not travel far, despite their physiological potential to do so without feeding, thanks to the zooxanthellae that brooded larvae contain (32). For example, Carlon and Olson (33) found that the average swimming time for the larvae of the brooding coral Favia fragum was only about 4 min.…”

Section: Reproduction: Allee Effects Inbreeding and Hybridizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The future of coral reefs

Knowlton

2001

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

515

400

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Coral reefs, with their millions of species, have changed profoundly because of the effects of people, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Reefs are subject to many of the same processes that affect other human-dominated ecosystems, but some special features merit emphasis: ( The fossil record suggests that corals as a group are more likely to suffer extinctions than some of the groups that associate with them, whose habitat requirements may be less stringent.

show abstract

Section: Reproduction: Allee Effects Inbreeding and Hybridizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The future of coral reefs

Knowlton

2001

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

515

400

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Fertilization is either internal with larvae brooded within the polyps, or fertilization is external following the broadcast spawning of gametes (Baird et al 2009b, Harrison 2011. The mode of larval nutrition is either autotrophic, where oocytes are inoculated with algal symbionts from which the developing larva can derive nutrition (Richmond 1987), or lecithotrophic, where oocytes are not inoculated with symbionts, and consequently, larval de velopment depends on maternal provisioning of the oocyte (Baird et al 2009b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The reproductive biology of the scleractinian coral Plesiastrea versipora in Sydney Harbour, Australia

Madsen¹,

Madin²,

Tan³

et al. 2014

Sex. Early. Dev. Aquat. Org.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The scleractinian coral Plesiastrea versipora occurs throughout most of the IndoPacific; however, the species is only abundant in temperate regions, including Sydney Harbour, in New South Wales, Australia, where it can be the dominant sessile organism over small spatial scales. Population genetics indicates that the Sydney Harbour population is highly isolated, suggesting long-term persistence will depend upon on the local production of recruits. To determine the potential role of sexual reproduction in population persistence, we examined a number of features of the reproductive biology of P. versipora for the first time, including the sexual system, the length of the gametogenetic cycles and size-specific fecundity. P. versipora was gonochoric, supporting recent molecular work removing the species from the Family Merulinidae, in which the species are exclusively hermaphroditic. The oogenic cycle was between 13 and 14 mo and the spermatogenetic cycle between 7 and 8 mo, with broadcast spawning inferred to occur in either January or February. Colony sex was strongly influenced by colony size: the probability of being male increased with colony area. The longer oogenic cycle suggests that females are investing energy in reproduction rather than growth, and consequently, males are on average larger for a given age. Alternatively, colonies may change sex from female to male as they grow. In contrast, per polyp fecundity did not vary with colony size. We conclude that the Sydney Harbour population is reproductively active and therefore has the potential to maintain current levels of abundance even without an external supply of propagules.

show abstract

“…The larvae of brooding corals also exhibit a wide range of planktonic periods, with some settling within 24 h after release (Carlon & Olson 1993). P. damicornis is a brooder and its larvae can settle at any time between 2 h and up to 100 d after release (Harrigan 1972, Richmond 1987. Settlement refers to the descent of the planula from the water column and its attachment at the aboral end to a substratum.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Larvae of Pocillopora damicornis (Anthozoa) settle and metamorphose in response to surface-biofilm bacteria

Tran¹,

Hadfield²

2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

120

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Larvae of the scleractinian coral Pocillopora damicornis require a natural cue from surface-biofilm bacteria to select a suitable substratum on which to attach, metamorphose, and grow into a benthic polyp. In this study, bacteria were isolated from various reef surfaces, including different species of corals and algae, and glass slides that had been placed in the field for 1 to 2 mo. Settlement assays were conducted on monospecific biofilms of bacteria isolated from the field. Of 52 different isolates, 3 showed strongly inductive capacity, whereas the others were moderately to non-inductive. The isolates were identified by sequencing their 16S rRNA genes, and their phylogenetic relationships were then analyzed. There was no correlation between the inductive capacities of individual bacterial species and their phylogenetic relationships nor between their inductive capacities and the surfaces from which they were isolated. Varying the biofilm densities affected settlement only by a strongly inductive bacterial species. Different bacterial species may also affect the inductive capacities of other species when combined. The new data provided here broaden our understanding of the roles of bacteria in the recruitment of coral larvae.

show abstract

Energetics, competency, and long-distance dispersal of planula larvae of the coral Pocillopora damicornis

Cited by 342 publications

References 18 publications

The future of coral reefs

The future of coral reefs

The reproductive biology of the scleractinian coral Plesiastrea versipora in Sydney Harbour, Australia

Larvae of Pocillopora damicornis (Anthozoa) settle and metamorphose in response to surface-biofilm bacteria

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About