Abstract
Growth characteristics (extension rate, density, and calcification rate) were determined using annual growth bands in skeletons of the reef-building coral Montastraea annularis, collected at 10 m depth on the northwest coast of Cuba. X-radiography contact prints revealed that the high-density band is formed during the warmest months of the year. Growth characteristics obtained were within the range of values presented by other authors for M. annularis in reefs distributed throughout the Atlantic. The relationships among the measured growth characteristics were similar to those previously described by other authors. The relationship found between calcification rate and sea surface temperature gradient in the Caribbean suggests that populations of M. annularis on the northwest coast of Cuba are related to populations of this species from the Caribbean and not to those from the Gulf of Mexico.
Highlights
Knutson et al (1972) discovered that the skeletons of some massive scleractinian corals display an annual growth pattern revealed in X-radiographs of skeletal slices removed from a growth axis as annual pairs of high and low density bands
Density, and calcification rate were obtained from 42 annual growth bands
The formation of high-density bands in Montastraea species has been linked to warmer sea surface temperature (SST) by several authors throughout the tropical Atlantic (e.g., Hudson 1981; Dodge and Brass 1984; Carricart-Ganivet et al 1994, 2000; CruzPiñón et al 2003; Carricart-Ganivet 2007)
Summary
Knutson et al (1972) discovered that the skeletons of some massive scleractinian corals display an annual growth pattern revealed in X-radiographs of skeletal slices removed from a growth axis as annual pairs of high and low density bands. Since high-resolution proxy climate records are poorly represented in tropical oceans, such banding has provided invaluable information about coral skeletal growth, growth rates, and the environmental conditions under which growth took place in these areas (e.g., Wórum et al 2007, Horta-Puga and Carriquiry 2008). Como los registros existentes de proxy climáticos de alta resolución en los océanos tropicales son muy escasos, este bandeo ha proporcionado información muy valiosa acerca del crecimiento del esqueleto coralino, las tasas de crecimiento y las condiciones ambientales en las cuales tuvo lugar el crecimiento en estás zonas (e.g., Wórum et al 2007, Horta-Puga y Carriquiry 2008). Las características del crecimiento anual obtenidas a partir del patrón de bandas de densidad, i.e., la densidad esquelética (g cm–3), incluyen la tasa de extensión anual
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
