Abstract
Sexually produced larvae are used in various fields of coral research. Because the vast majority of scleractinians reproduces only on one or few occasions per year and ex-situ spawning induction is still very hard to achieve, high efforts are required to obtain planula larvae. Brooding corals have been used to harvest planulae, but the larvae oftentimes differ in various traits, e.g. settlement behavior, from most spawning corals. Other cnidarians, such as Aiptasia spp., have been substituting scleractinians in many aspects of coral research. However, organisms such as Aiptasia differ strongly from scleractinians limiting the transferability of obtained results. This study examines the potential of Leptastrea purpurea as a reliable source of larvae for coral research. Larval output throughout the year as well as settlement behavior of planulae was investigated. Our results show that L. purpurea allows permanent access to planula larvae. The settlement behavior of L. purpurea is similar to many spawning species which increases the transferability of conclusions. We discuss the aptitude of L. purpurea for research on scleractinian physiology, ecology and larval settlement and conclude that L. purpurea is a well-suited organism to accelerate progress in many fields of coral research.
Highlights
Our results show that colonies of L. purpurea released a daily average of 3.7 (±0.2) larvae during a period of 65 days, allowing continual access to planula larvae
Throughout their distribution coral reefs are threatened by a multitude of mostly anthropogenic stressors: coral communities have to cope with the consequences of rising sea surface temperatures, overfishing, pollution, and coastal development (Hughes, 1994; Hughes et al, 2003; HoeghGuldberg et al, 2007; Huang, 2012)
Elevated sea surfaces temperatures and a higher frequency and amplitude of temperature anomalies caused by ongoing climate change are serious threats to coral reefs (Hughes et al, 2017)
Summary
Throughout their distribution coral reefs are threatened by a multitude of mostly anthropogenic stressors: coral communities have to cope with the consequences of rising sea surface temperatures, overfishing, pollution, and coastal development (Hughes, 1994; Hughes et al, 2003; HoeghGuldberg et al, 2007; Huang, 2012). Elevated sea surfaces temperatures and a higher frequency and amplitude of temperature anomalies caused by ongoing climate change are serious threats to coral reefs (Hughes et al, 2017). Unless carbon emissions are greatly reduced, coral reefs will experience rising temperatures throughout this century leading to significant decline of coral reef ecosystems (Hoegh-Guldberg et al, 2007). Sexual reproduction and recruitment are highly important for both resilience and adaptability of coral communities (Edmunds, 2004; Hoegh-Guldberg, 2014).
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