Exploring variable patterns of density-dependent larval settlement among corals with distinct and shared functional traits

Doropoulos, Christopher; Gómez-Lemos, Luis A.; Babcock, Russell C.

doi:10.1007/s00338-017-1629-y

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…This reproductive strategy enables gametes to aggregate at the water surface once they are released (Bourmaud et al., 2013; Soong & Cho, 1998), and most likely contributes to the sibling aggregation pattern observed in Millepora population. In many broadcast spawning species, the success of fertilization is proximity dependent (Carlon, 1999; Doropoulos, Gómez‐Lemos, & Babcock, 2018; Teo & Todd, 2018) with sperm dispersal identified as the limiting factor in numerous reef invertebrates, even at the scale of few metres (Coma & Lasker, 1997; Lasker et al., 2008; Pennington, 1985; Warner et al., 2016). In this study, we identified one pair of parents that were assigned to an offspring, with only 2.44 m separating the two parents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In many broadcast spawning species, the success of fertilization is proximity dependent (Carlon, 1999;Doropoulos, Gómez-Lemos, & Babcock, 2018;Teo & Todd, 2018) with sperm dispersal identified as the limiting factor in numerous reef invertebrates, even at the scale of few metres (Coma & Lasker, 1997;Lasker et al, 2008;Pennington, 1985;Warner et al, 2016). In this study, we identified one pair of parents that were assigned to an offspring, with only 2.44 m separating the two parents.…”

Section: Influence Of Gamete Dispersal and Fertilization On Siblingmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Parentage analyses identify local dispersal events and sibling aggregations in a natural population of Millepora hydrocorals, a free‐spawning marine invertebrate

et al. 2020

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Dispersal is a critical process for the persistence and productivity of marine populations. For many reef species, there is increasing evidence that local demography and self-recruitment have major consequences on their genetic diversity and adaptation to environmental change. Yet empirical data of dispersal patterns in reef-building species remain scarce. Here, we document the first genetic estimates of self-recruitment and dispersal distances in a free-spawning marine invertebrate, the hydrocoral Millepora cf. platyphylla. Using twelve microsatellite markers, we gathered genotypic information from 3,160 georeferenced colonies collected over 27,000 m 2 of a single reef in three adjacent habitats in Moorea, French Polynesia; the mid slope, upper slope, and back reef. Although the adult population was predominantly clonal (85% were clones), our parentage analysis revealed a moderate self-recruitment rate with a minimum of 8% of sexual propagules produced locally. Assigned offspring often settled at <10 m from their parents and dispersal events decrease with increasing geographic distance. There were no discrepancies between the dispersal distances of offspring assigned to parents belonging to clonal versus nonclonal genotypes. Interhabitat dispersal events via cross-reef transport were also detected for sexual and asexual propagules. Sibship analysis showed that full siblings recruit nearby on the reef (more than 40% settled at <30 m), resulting in sibling aggregations. Our findings highlight the importance of self-recruitment together with clonality in stabilizing population dynamics, which may ultimately enhance local sustainability and resilience to disturbance.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Influence Of Gamete Dispersal and Fertilization On Siblingmentioning

confidence: 97%

Parentage analyses identify local dispersal events and sibling aggregations in a natural population of Millepora hydrocorals, a free‐spawning marine invertebrate

et al. 2020

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“…As coral planulae are known to ‘test’ the substrate prior to settlement [88, 89] the relative attractiveness of a lightly conditioned tile compared to the surrounding substrate may vary the proportion of larvae settling to tiles at small spatial scales [33]. We suggest that at reefs where the natural substrate is unattractive to searching larvae, the tiles may offer a preferable substrate, confounding our analyses comparing settlement to factors of the benthic community known to influence settlement: the presence of CCA on tiles [90–92]; local cover of macroalgae [23, 93] and soft corals [94, 95], or rate of sedimentation [9, 25, 26, 89, 93, 96].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High spatio-temporal variability in Acroporidae settlement to inshore reefs of the Great Barrier Reef

et al. 2019

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Recovery of coral reefs after disturbance relies heavily on replenishment through successful larval settlement and their subsequent survival. As part of an integrated study to determine the potential effects of water quality changes on the resilience of inshore coral communities, scleractinian coral settlement was monitored between 2006 and 2012 at 12 reefs within the inshore Great Barrier Reef. Settlement patterns were only analysed for the family Acroporidae, which represented the majority (84%) of settled larvae. Settlement of Acroporidae to terracotta tiles averaged 0.11 cm-2, representing 34 ± 31.01 (mean ± SD) spat per tile, indicating an abundant supply of competent larvae to the study reefs. Settlement was highly variable among reefs and between years. Differences in settlement among locations partly corresponded to the local cover of adult Acroporidae, while substantial reductions in Acroporidae cover caused by tropical cyclones and floods resulted in a clear reduction in settlement. Much of the observed variability remained unexplained, although likely included variability in both connectivity to, and the fecundity of, adult Acroporidae. The responsiveness of settlement patterns to the decline in Acroporidae cover across all four regions indicates the importance of supply and connectivity, and the vulnerability towards region-wide disturbance. High spatial and temporal variability, in addition to the resource-intensive nature of sampling with settlement tiles, highlights the logistical difficulty of determining coral settlement over large spatial and temporal scales.

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“…Relationships between spat density and recruit survival have been described for several Acropora species and suggest that intermediate densities often confer the best outcome (Suzuki et al, 2012;Edwards et al, 2015;Doropoulos et al, 2017aDoropoulos et al, , 2018Cameron and Harrison, 2020). Suzuki et al (2012) examined the impact of larval density in a field seeding trial of A. tenuis and A. muricata in Japan and found that moderate spat densities (∼0.1 cm −2 ) resulted in a better overall outcome than low (∼0.07 spat cm −2 ) and high densities (∼0.6 cm −2 ), as determined by survival at 6 months and genetic diversity endpoints.…”

Section: Density Dependence In Spat Survivalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Coral Survival on Deployment Devices With Microrefugia

et al. 2021

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Surviving after settlement through the first year of life is a recognised bottleneck in up-scaling reef coral restoration. Incorporating spatial refugia in settlement devices has the potential to alleviate some hazards experienced by young recruits, such as predation and accidental grazing, and can increase the likelihood of survival to size-escape thresholds. Yet optimising the design of microrefugia is challenging due to the complexity of physical and biological processes that occur at fine spatial scales around a recruit. Here, we investigated the effects of microhabitat features on the survival of Acropora tenuis spat in a year-long experimental field deployment of two types of artificial settlement devices—grooved-tiles and lattice-grids—onto three replicate racks on a shallow, central mid-shelf reef of the Great Barrier Reef. Spat survival across device types averaged between 2 and 39% and about half of all devices had at least one surviving coral after a year. While the larvae settled across all micro-habitats available on the devices, there was strong post-settlement selection for corals on the lower edges, lower surfaces, and in the grooves, with 100% mortality of recruits on upper surfaces, nearly all within the first 6 months of deployment. The device type that conferred the highest average survival (39%) was a tile with wide grooves (4 mm) cut all the way through, which significantly improved survival success over flat and comparatively featureless control tiles (13%). We hypothesise that the wide grooves provided protection from accidental grazing while also minimising sediment accumulation and allowing higher levels of light and water flow to reach the recruits than featureless control devices. We conclude that incorporating design features into deployment devices such as wide slits has the potential to substantially increase post-deployment survival success of restored corals.

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Exploring variable patterns of density-dependent larval settlement among corals with distinct and shared functional traits

Cited by 19 publications

References 21 publications

Parentage analyses identify local dispersal events and sibling aggregations in a natural population of Millepora hydrocorals, a free‐spawning marine invertebrate

Parentage analyses identify local dispersal events and sibling aggregations in a natural population of Millepora hydrocorals, a free‐spawning marine invertebrate

High spatio-temporal variability in Acroporidae settlement to inshore reefs of the Great Barrier Reef

Enhancing Coral Survival on Deployment Devices With Microrefugia

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