Growth Patterns in Long-Lived Coral Species

Galli, Giovanni; Abid, Raza; Priori, Cristina; Benedetti, Maria Carla; Cau, Alessandro; Santangelo, Giovanni; Iannelli, Mimmo; Solidoro, Cosimo; Bramanti, Lorenzo

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-17001-5_15-1

Cited by 12 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…In these larger colonies, the number of polyps is a function of the total number of apical branches that, despite the wide variability in their size, are characterized by higher polyp density. As the first ramification starts around 10 years (Benedetti et al 2016), the lack of a correlation between polyp number and colony age in [ 10 years old colonies is likely the result of a large variation in the branching process.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Under these circumstances, integrating data from individual and modular growth studies may enhance the understanding of growth in highly plastic corals. Precious corals belonging to the Family Corallidae are generally slowgrowing and long-lived, thus, following their growth over the entire life span is a nearly impossible task (Santangelo et al 2003) and indirect methods to assess colony development in these species are needed (Marschal et al 2004;Vielzeuf et al 2008;Benedetti et al 2016;Kahramanogullari et al 2019).…”

Section: R E V I S E D P R O O Fmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…C. rubrum has long been subjected to commercial fishing, as its red calcareous skeleton is widely used in jewelry and traded worldwide (e.g., Cicogna and Cattaneo-Vietti 1993;Tsounis et al 2010). Due to its slow growth rates (* 0.24 mm y -1 in basal diameter; Marschal et al 2004;Priori et al 2013;Bramanti et al 2014;Benedetti et al 2016), the overharvesting of larger/older colonies has caused an alarming shift in the structure of existing populations toward smaller sizes (Santangelo and Abbiati 113 2001; Tsounis et al 2006a;Bramanti et al 2009;Cau et al 114 2016;Garrabou et al 2017). C. rubrum has therefore been 115 included in three different international conventions (EU 116 Directive Habitat, Bern Convention, and Convention on 117 Biological Diversity) and its harvesting is regulated by 118 Mediterranean, national and local/regional rules (GFCM-119 FAO 2011).…”

Section: R E V I S E D P R O O Fmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The relationship between total number of polyps and 178 branches was tested on 518 intact colonies of different size 179 (out of 695 collected across the Northwestern Mediter-180 ranean between 2009 and 2016; Priori et al 2013;Bra-181 manti et al 2014;Benedetti et al 2016; unfortunately no 182 environmental data on sampling sites was at our disposal 183 (sampling details in Supplemental Materials). All the 184 colonies were photographed, numbered and fixed in 4% 185 formalin for laboratory analysis.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Three types of branches were identified in each colony: basal, internodal and apical. The basal branch corresponds to the base of the colony, the internodal branch is the first branch generated by the branching process (i.e., the largest/ oldest branch of the colony; Benedetti et al 2016) and the apical branch was chosen randomly among the tips (Fig. 1c).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Polyp longevity in a precious gorgonian coral: hints toward a demographic approach to polyp dynamics

et al. 2020

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In this paper, we investigated the age distribu-9 tion and dynamics of polyps in the slow-growing and long-10 lived gorgonian Corallium rubrum (the Mediterranean red 11 coral), applying an a posteriori demographic approach by 12 considering each colony as a population of polyps. In the 13 Mediterranean red coral, new polyps emerge from the 14 coenenchyme in different regions of the colony and their 15 budding rate depends on the age of branches. The age of 16 polyps, branches and colonies were estimated using the 17 organic-matter-staining dating method on thin sections of 18 the colony skeleton. The median age and maximum life 19 span of polyps were 4 and 12 years suggesting the presence 20 of senescence processes: thus a colony renews several 21 times its polyps during life cycle. Polyps were divided into 22 annual age classes, and their mortality rates calculated. The 23 polyp age distribution was then used to construct a mor-24 tality table and an algebraic transition matrix based on the 25 age at death of 234 polyps. Finally, the polyp budding rate 26 of a young, unbranched colony was calculated, and polyp 27 temporal dynamics simulated. These findings represent the first steps for developing demographic models able to describe polyp dynamics of old and highly branched colonies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: R E V I S E D P R O O Fmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: R E V I S E D P R O O Fmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Polyp longevity in a precious gorgonian coral: hints toward a demographic approach to polyp dynamics

et al. 2020

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Understanding corallite demography to comprehend potential bias in sclerochronology: Analysis of coral modular growth by micro‐computed tomography

Medellín‐Maldonado¹,

López-Pérez

Ruiz‐Huerta

et al. 2022

Limnology & Oceanography

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The discovery of alternating growth bands in the skeletons of massive corals led to the possibility of using them as environmental indicators. However, skeleton formation is the result of the growth of thousands of polyps depositing millimeter-sized CaCO 3 structures, called corallites. Nevertheless, the orientation of the corallite trajectories and their position with respect to the colony could be altering the information obtained from the skeleton. In this sense, to obtain reliable information from coral skeletons, it is necessary to understand how polyp population growth influences coral growth rates. For this reason, we present a study that combines computed tomography image segmentation, optical densitometry, and demographic equations to follow the trajectory of corallites in order to model coral growth from the replication of its corallites and understand the responses in terms of their growth. We observed that both corallite replication and skeletal growth characteristics vary significantly according to the position they occupy within the colony. The central zone of the colony promotes corallite replication, and it is in this zone that we measured the highest values of extension and calcification. These variations in vegetative and skeletal growth are possibly in accordance with the variability of available resources and environmental stimuli in different zones of the skeleton. This approach will allow us to explore future lines of research associated with the size limits of different coral species and to observe how different drivers modulate polyp budding.

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