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Larval settlement preferences of Acropora palmata and Montastraea faveolata in response to diverse red algae

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Abstract

Settlement specificity can regulate recruitment but remains poorly understood for coral larvae. We studied larvae of the corals, Acropora palmata and Montastraea faveolata, to determine their rates of settlement and metamorphosis in the presence of ten species of red algae, including eight species of crustose coralline algae, one geniculated coralline and one encrusting peyssonnelid. Twenty to forty percent of larvae of A. palmata settled on coralline surfaces of Hydrolithon boergesenii, Lithoporella atlantica, Neogoniolithon affine, and Titanoderma prototypum, whereas none settled and metamorphosed on Neogoniolithon mamillare. Larvae of M. faveolata had 13–25 % settlement onto the surface of Amphiroa tribulus, H. boergesenii, N. affine, N. munitum, and T. prototypum, but had no settlement on the surface of N. mamillare, Porolithon pachydermum, and a noncoralline crust Peyssonnelia sp. Some of these algal species were common on Belizean reefs, but the species that induced the highest rates of larval settlement and metamorphosis tended to be rare and primarily found in low-light environments. The shallow coral, A. palmata, and the deeper coral, M. faveolata, both had increased larval settlement rates in the presence of only a few species of red algae found at deeper depths suggesting that patterns of coral distribution can only sometimes be related to the distribution of red algae species.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Nikki Fogarty for advice, intellectual discussions, and help with our experiments. We appreciate the logistical support of Klaus Ruetzler, Michael Carpenter, Zach Foltz, and Scott Jones for facilitating our work at Carrie Bow Cay. Belize Fisheries Department provided us with permits to conduct this research. This work was supported by the Hunterdon Oceanographic Fund and the Marine Science Network at the Smithsonian Institution. This is contribution number 953 of the Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems program and 935 of the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, 701 Seaway Dr., Fort Pierce, FL, 34949, USA

    R. Ritson-Williams & V. J. Paul

  2. Darling Marine Center, School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Walpole, ME, 04573, USA

    S. N. Arnold & R. S. Steneck

  3. Department of Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    R. Ritson-Williams

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  1. R. Ritson-Williams
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  2. S. N. Arnold
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  3. V. J. Paul
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  4. R. S. Steneck
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Correspondence to R. Ritson-Williams.

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Communicated by Biology Editor Dr. Mark Vermeij

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Ritson-Williams, R., Arnold, S.N., Paul, V.J. et al. Larval settlement preferences of Acropora palmata and Montastraea faveolata in response to diverse red algae. Coral Reefs 33, 59–66 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-013-1113-2

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