The structural mechanics and ecology of the reef coral Acropora reticulata

Vosburgh, F.

doi:10.1016/0021-9290(78)90022-2

Cited by 8 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…The effects of morphology on fragmentation can be recognized in an analysis of the process of failure of a branch. Wainwright et al (1976), Koehl (1976Koehl ( , 1977 and Vosburgh (1977) have analysed stresses in forms like in gorgonians as cantilevers. Failure in such structures occurs when either the tensile or shear stress on a branch exceeds the strength of the structure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asexual reproduction, fragmentation, and skeletal morphology of a plexaurid gorgonian

Lasker¹

1984

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The Caribbean gorgonian Plexaura A, a species of uncertain affinity, relies almost entirely on asexual reproduction for the formation of new colonies. At a site of the San Blas Islands, Panama, 94 % of the colonies < 10 cm in height had apparently developed from fragments of larger colonies. These fragments were formed when branches broke off from Plexaura A colonies. In situ tests of the force required to break off branches indicate that downward directed forces of as low as 0.1 Newton induced failure of Plexaura A branches. In contrast, branches of equivalent diameter of the sympatric congenor P. homomalla (Esper) frequently remained unbroken at forces up to 19.6 N. Most fragments broke off the colony at points exhibiting a constriction in the axial skeleton. Constrictions in the branch axis of Plexaura A were not distributed uniformly on the colony. Branch points distant from the branch tip were more likely to have axis constrictions than those close to the tip. Fragments are believed to be produced by wave action during squalls and loose fragments were regularly found at the study site. These data suggest the axis constrictions in Plexaura A may be an adaptation for enhanced asexual reproduction.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asexual reproduction, fragmentation, and skeletal morphology of a plexaurid gorgonian

Lasker¹

1984

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…It is known, however, that water movement, food/nutrients, light, and the ability to avoid being smothered will usually benefit scleractinian corals. There is considerable evidence that hydraulic energy and coral morphology are related, especially in branching species (Wainwright & Koehl, 1976; Vosburg, 1977; Sebens & Johnson, 1991; Helmuth & Sebens, 1993; Sebens et al , 1997). Hydromechanically this is reasonable; whereas changes in pigmentation and zooxanthallae densities can help corals to survive variable light levels (Falkowski, Jokiel & Kinzie, 1990), there is no clear physiologically equivalent mechanism for coping with the effects of increased drag.…”

Section: Is Morphological Plasticity In Corals Adaptive?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological plasticity in scleractinian corals

Todd¹

2008

Biological Reviews

382

360

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When describing coral shape and form the term phenotypic plasticity, i.e. environment-induced changes in morphology, is often used synonymously with intraspecific variation. Variation, however, may simply be due to genetic differentiation (polymorphism). Of the 1314 extant scleractinian coral species, less than 20 have been tested for plastic responses. Morphological plasticity has important implications for coral identification, as skeletal features used in coral systematics are directly affected by environment. Furthermore, plastic changes can indicate how corals acclimatise to environmental change. The studies that have examined phenotypic plasticity in corals experimentally can be divided into two groups, i.e. 'non-clonal'-those that have transplanted whole colonies or fragments of colonies (but not treated the fragments as clones) to new environments, and 'clonal'-those that have transplanted colony fragments and used them as clone-mates. The use of clone-mates is preferable as it facilitates the identification of among-genotype variation for plasticity. The heterogeneous nature of the reef environment makes identifying the parameters that affect coral morphology difficult in the field, but there are also many problems conducting suitable aquarium experiments. Nevertheless, evidence to date suggests light and water movement are the most important variables inducing change. As these factors are known to be axiomatic to coral growth, it is possible that associated plastic changes in corals are adaptive; however, this hypothesis is yet to be tested rigorously

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“…Alternatively, the Calafuria coast is often hit by storms, which expose the coral population to intense wave action. Organisms growing in strong wave action environments are generally smaller than organisms living in deeper or calmer waters (Harger 1970(Harger , 1972Paine 1976;Adey 1978;Smith and Harrison 1977;Vosburgh 1977).…”

Section: Growth Rate and Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth and population dynamics model of the Mediterranean solitary coral Balanophyllia europaea (Scleractinia, Dendrophylliidae)

Goffredo

Mattioli²,

Zaccanti

2004

Coral Reefs

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Complex life history processes of corals, such as fission, fusion, and partial mortality of colonies, that decouple coral age from size, are rare or clearly detectable in corals that produce distinct colonial or solitary forms. In some of these corals, individual age may be determined from size, and standard age-based growth and population dynamics models may be applied. We determined population size and structure and measured growth rates of Balanophyllia europaea individuals at Calafuria in the eastern Ligurian Sea. We then applied demographic models to these data. Growth rate decreased with increasing coral size. The age-size curve derived from field measurements of growth rates fits that obtained from the computerized tomography analysis of skeletal growth bands. The frequency of individuals in each age class decreased exponentially with age, indicating a population in a steady state. The survival curve showed a turnover time of 3.6 years and a maximum life span of 20 years. This is nearly three times the turnover time and maximum life span recorded for Balanophyllia elegans living off the western coasts of North America, the only congeneric species whose population dynamics has been studied. The Beverton and Holt population model may be useful for comparative analyses of demographic traits and for resource management of solitary or compact, upright growth forms that rarely fragment. This paper completes the description of the main life-strategy characteristics of the Mediterranean endemic coral B. europaea, together with our previous studies on the reproductive biology of this species. This constitutes a major advance in the understanding of the biology and ecology of Mediterranean scleractinian corals, and represents the most complete description of a coral from this geographic area to date that we are aware of.

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The structural mechanics and ecology of the reef coral Acropora reticulata

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Asexual reproduction, fragmentation, and skeletal morphology of a plexaurid gorgonian

Asexual reproduction, fragmentation, and skeletal morphology of a plexaurid gorgonian

Morphological plasticity in scleractinian corals

Growth and population dynamics model of the Mediterranean solitary coral Balanophyllia europaea (Scleractinia, Dendrophylliidae)

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