About the Cover.

Abstract

Next article FreeAbout the CoverPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreCoverOn the cover, a colony of the hard coral Acropora digitifera is seen releasing bundles of sperm and eggs into the seawater at Ioul Lukes Reef in Palau. Animals that live in seawater have different ways of ensuring that their eggs are successfully fertilized. For this species and many other corals, synchronized spawning is the key because it increases the concentration of eggs and sperm available at a particular time and place. But the underlying question is how such synchrony is achieved. In many species, spawning has been shown to be correlated with light—specifically with light from sun and moon. Consequently, both solar and lunar light cycles have been postulated as the cue for the coral to spawn on a particular day and time.A number of studies have examined the effects of light on coral spawning. In this issue (pages 161–173), Boch and colleagues present the first investigation to separate the spectral components of light and demonstrate their effects on coral spawning and spawning synchrony. These authors decoupled the major solar and lunar optical components and determined their separate effects by using synthetic light controls. Spawning synchrony in relation to changes in moonlight was greatest in response to changes in lunar photoperiod, while changes in light intensities and spectra resulted in lesser influence. In contrast, spawning synchrony in relation to the daily cycle of day and night was shown to be more robust to differential light dynamics at twilight.Because the spawning times in other marine organisms have also been correlated to light cycles, this study has broader implications for light dynamics as a common signal for synchronizing spawning behavior in organisms that broadcast their eggs and sperm into seawater.Credits: Cover photo: Shane Anderson, University of California Santa Barbara, Marine Science Institute; cover design: Beth Liles, Marine Biological Laboratory. Next article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Biological Bulletin Volume 220, Number 3June 2011 Published in association with the Marine Biological Laboratory Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/BBLv220n3cover Views: 214 © 2011 by Marine Biological Laboratory. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.