Abstract
Coral settlement is a key process for the recovery and maintenance of coral reefs, yet interspecific variations in density-dependent settlement are unknown. Settlement of the submassive Goniastrea retiformis and corymbose Acropora digitifera and A. millepora was quantified at densities ranging from 1 to 50 larvae per 20 mL from 110 to 216 h following spawning. Settlement patterns were distinct for each species. Goniastrea settlement was rapid and increased linearly with time, whereas both Acropora spp. hardly settled until crustose coralline algae was provided. Both Goniastrea and A. digitifera showed positive density-dependent settlement, but the relationship was exponential for Goniastrea but linear for A. digitifera. Settlement was highest but density independent in A. millepora. Our results suggest that larval density can have significant effects on settler replenishment, and highlight variability in density-dependent settlement among corals with distinct functional traits as well as those with similar functional forms.
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Acknowledgements
This project was funded by the Gorgon Barrow Island Net Conservation Benefits Fund administered by the Western Australian Department of Parks and Wildlife awarded to RCB and a CSIRO Office of the Chief Executive Postdoctoral Fellowship to CD. We thank Megan Huggett and Rachele Bernasconi from Edith Cowan University for field support.
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Doropoulos, C., Gómez-Lemos, L.A. & Babcock, R.C. Exploring variable patterns of density-dependent larval settlement among corals with distinct and shared functional traits. Coral Reefs 37, 25–29 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-017-1629-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-017-1629-y