Enhanced ultraviolet radiation can terminate sexual reproduction in the broadcasting coral species Acropora cervicornis Lamarck

Abstract

The effects of enhanced ultraviolet radiation (280–400 nm: UVR) on the fecundity of Acropora cervicornis were measured in field-transplanted colonies from 20 m to 1 m depth and vice versa at La Parguera, Puerto Rico. Fecundity was estimated from histological sections made from tissue samples obtained at different time intervals during the experimental period (March – August 2003). All colonies transplanted from 20 m to 1 m showed a 100% reduction in gonads per mesentery per polyp one month after transplantation, while those transplanted from 1 m to 20 m did not show any significant reduction in fecundity throughout the experimental period. The latter colonies did show however, a delay in the spawning times by releasing their gamete bundles approximately two-three weeks after the controls at 1 m and two months after the controls at 20 m suggesting an induced response as a consequence of changes in their daily light cycle due to less radiation (PAR and UVR) available at 20 m compared to 1 m. Control colonies at 20 m spawned after the full moon of June 2003, while the controls at 1 m spawned 5–6 days after the full moon of July 2003. While a possible reabsorption of the gametes occurred in A. cervicornis colonies transplanted from 20 m to 1 m, the expulsion of these gametes due to the sudden stress caused by the transplantation is not discarded. The results suggest that sudden increases in UVR can completely stop sexual reproduction in ramose broadcasting coral species, which in turn can affect the dominance of the species and the composition and structure of shallow reef environments.