Effect of lesion size and shape on regeneration of the Red Sea coral Favia favus

Abstract

The present study examined the effect of lesion size and shape on the recovery rates of the scleractinian colonial coral Favia farms Five tissue lesion types, differing in surface area and perimeter, were artificially Inflicted on the upper surface of 46 F. favus colonies in the shallow reef across from the Marlne Biology Laboratory of Eilat (Red Sea). The gradual closure of these lesions was monitored monthly from January to March 1995 by underwater photography. Photographs over time were analyzed with a computerized image analyzer, enabling accurate measurements of the emerging tissue. In this study we present the percent recovery of the various lesion types through time and the ratios between the newly formed tissue and the penmeter length (NFT/P) of each specific lesion. These results show for the first time the significant effect of lesion size and shape on the regeneration capability of a colonial coral. We found that the high recovery rates achieved during the first month are regulated mainly by the penmeter length of the lesion, while during the following months recovery IS influenced more by the surface area of the les~on and its surface area/perimeter ratio. The vanous NFT/P ratios recorded in this study indicate that lesions with a relatively long perimeter probably obtain a h~g h e r energetic allocation from the colony, probably due to the larger colony portion associated w~t h their recovery.

Three stages of injuries regeneration on scleractinian corals

“…Probably, algae and marine invertebrates may affect a process of healing of lesions because of their attachment to damaged areas and subsequent impediment to regeneration of coral tissue. However, although the regeneration mechanisms of various types of injuries to scleractinian corals were studied in some works (Meesters et al 1997a;Hall 1997Hall , 2001Oren et al 1997), the dynamics of regeneration and the influence of settled organisms on the recovery of injuries have been largely ignored.…”

“…These damages to colonies of hard corals sometimes reach extensive areas but do not lead to mortality of the colonies due to modularity of the corals, and to their high ability to regenerate by healing and recruitment (Hughes and Jackson 1985). Regeneration of injured areas depends on type and size of lesions on coral colony surfaces, and interspecific and environmentrelated-differences (Kawaguti 1937;Bak 1993, 1995;Meesters et al 1996Meesters et al , 1997aHall 1997;Oren et al 1997;Marshall 2000). It is also greatly affected by the physiological state of coral colonies (Hall 1997(Hall , 2001Titlyanov and Titlyanova 2002).…”

Lesion regeneration capacities in populations of the massive coral Porites lutea at Réunion Island: environmental correlates

“…Lesion regeneration typically begins with the inward progression of undifferentiated tissue created by the polyps and coenenchyme surrounding the lesion, followed by the appearance of new polyps (Bak et al 1977). Reduction in lesion size has been described using a negative exponential curve (Bak 1983, Meesters et al 1992, Meesters & Bak 1993, van Woesik 1998 Oren et al 2001), lesion size and shape (Meesters et al 1997, Oren et al 1997b, van Woesik 1998 and environmental conditions (Fisher et al 2007). Incomplete lesion regeneration is characteristic for massive corals (Meesters et al 1994, 1997, Fisher et al 2007).…”

Effects of simulated fish predation on small colonies of massive Porites spp. and Pocillopora meandrina

“…To heal the damage that fish corallivory creates, coral tissue must regenerate to occupy the void and 'close' the lesion, and if the damage includes the removal of skeleton, complete healing also requires new skeletal growth (CaCO 3 and organic matrix). The size, shape, and position of lesions on a coral colony also affects healing (Bak & Steward-Van Es 1980, Meesters et al 1992, Oren et al 1997a, with large lesions taking longer to heal and having a greater chance of healing incompletely than small lesions (Bak & Steward-Van Es 1980, Oren et al 1997a) and circular lesions healing faster than rectangular lesions because they have proportionately larger perimeters from which regeneration can occur (Oren et al 1997a). In addition to the biological factors affecting rates of healing, physical factors such as temperature and water flow also modulate the rate of recovery from localized damage (Edmunds & ).…”

“…typically have only smaller bites excavated from their surface. Once a coral is damaged, the repair of tissue and skeleton requires metabolic resources in the form of carbon, and these are typically translocated from undamaged portions of the coral to the site of de mand (Oren et al 1997a(Oren et al ,b, 2001). Thus, bigger colo nies with more tissue and larger resources, or colo nies with a strong capacity to translocate resources across the colony surfaces, should be able to recover faster than small colonies when both are damaged equally.…”