Timing of reproduction in Montastraea annularis: relationship to environmental variables

Mendes, Judith M.; Woodley, J. D.

doi:10.3354/meps227241

Cited by 87 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Although this issue has not, to our knowledge, been rigorously studied, anecdotal reports from researchers studying coral spawning indicate that increased light levels may inhibit spawning. In contrast, mass spawnings are not reported to be much altered under cloudy skies, in accordance with our observations that light clouds do not alter spectral dynamics, but corals tend not to spawn during monsoon months in the tropics, when extremely heavy clouds and rain may disrupt twilight color more than normal cloudy skies (Mendes and Woodley, 2002). Therefore, the data shown here indicate that if lunar irradiance affects the spawning response, then light pollution may delay or inhibit spawning altogether, whereas routine cloud cover should not.…”

Section: A M Sweeney and Otherssupporting

confidence: 75%

Twilight spectral dynamics and the coral reef invertebrate spawning response

Sweeney

Boch

Johnsen

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYThere are dramatic and physiologically relevant changes in both skylight color and intensity during evening twilight as the pathlength of direct sunlight through the atmosphere increases, ozone increasingly absorbs long wavelengths and skylight becomes increasingly blue shifted. The moon is above the horizon at sunset during the waxing phase of the lunar cycle, on the horizon at sunset on the night of the full moon and below the horizon during the waning phase. Moonlight is red shifted compared with daylight, so the presence, phase and position of the moon in the sky could modulate the blue shifts during twilight. Therefore, the influence of the moon on twilight color is likely to differ somewhat each night of the lunar cycle, and to vary especially rapidly around the full moon, as the moon transitions from above to below the horizon during twilight. Many important light-mediated biological processes occur during twilight, and this lunar effect may play a role. One particularly intriguing biological event tightly correlated with these twilight processes is the occurrence of mass spawning events on coral reefs. Therefore, we measured downwelling underwater hyperspectral irradiance on a coral reef during twilight for several nights before and after the full moon. We demonstrate that shifts in twilight color and intensity on nights both within and between evenings, immediately before and after the full moon, are correlated with the observed times of synchronized mass spawning, and that these optical phenomena are a biologically plausible cue for the synchronization of these mass spawning events.

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Section: A M Sweeney and Otherssupporting

confidence: 75%

Twilight spectral dynamics and the coral reef invertebrate spawning response

Sweeney

Boch

Johnsen

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Hundreds of species of corals and other invertebrates spawn simultaneously several nights after the full Moon. The timing of annual coral spawning varies geographically around the Earth but is consistent and predictable at any location [13,14]. Environmental factors, such as sea temperature, salinity, tidal periodicity, food and day length have been suggested as inducers for gametogenesis and spawning [7,10,15], while actual spawning appears to be triggered by the level of lunar irradiance [7,13,[16][17][18].…”

Section: Effects On Reproduction (A) Invertebratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronobiology by moonlight

et al. 2013

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Most studies in chronobiology focus on solar cycles (daily and annual). Moonlight and the lunar cycle received considerably less attention by chronobiologists. An exception are rhythms in intertidal species. Terrestrial ecologists long ago acknowledged the effects of moonlight on predation success, and consequently on predation risk, foraging behaviour and habitat use, while marine biologists have focused more on the behaviour and mainly on reproduction synchronization with relation to the Moon phase. Lately, several studies in different animal taxa addressed the role of moonlight in determining activity and studied the underlying mechanisms. In this paper, we review the ecological and behavioural evidence showing the effect of moonlight on activity, discuss the adaptive value of these changes, and describe possible mechanisms underlying this effect. We will also refer to other sources of night-time light (‘light pollution’) and highlight open questions that demand further studies.

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“…The correspondence of peak larval respiration and modal release temperature is likely just one piece in the complex puzzle determining when corals spawn and, indeed, compelling cases have been made that the ultimate causes of reproductive timing in corals are avoidance of hybridization (Levitan et al, 2004), predator satiation (Babcock et al, 1986), enhanced fertilization success and larval retention (Van Woesik, 2009), and evading heavy rainfall (Mendes and Woodley, 2002). The timing of larval release clearly cannot solely be determined by maximizing larval respiration, because 48-54% of the larvae in the present analysis were released at temperatures cooler than the thermal threshold for respiration (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of temperature on the respiration of brooded larvae from tropical reef corals

Edmunds

Cumbo

Fan

2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYThis study describes the effects of temperature on the respiration of brooded larvae of scleractinian corals, and evaluates the implications of these effects relative to seawater temperature when peak larval release occurs. Respiration rates of larvae from Pocillopora damicornis, Seriatopora hystrix and Stylophora pistillata were quantified in darkness as oxygen uptake during 1-3h exposures to five temperatures between 26.4 and 29.6°C. To assess the biological significance of these experiments, the temperature of the seawater into which larvae of P. damicornis and S. hystrix were released was measured for 32-34months over , and was related parabolically to temperature with a positive threshold at 28.0°C. The temperature coefficients (Q 10 ) for the ascending portion of these relationships (Q 10 15-76) indicate that the temperature dependency is stronger than can be explained by kinetics alone, and probably reflects behavioral and developmental effects. Larval release occurred year-round in synchrony with the lunar periodicity when seawater temperature ranged from 21.8 to 30.7°C, and more than half of the sampled larvae were released at 27.5-28.9°C. The coincidence on the temperature scale of peak larval release with the thermal threshold for respiration suggests that high metabolic rates have selective value for pelagic coral larvae. The large and rapid effects of temperature on larval respiration have implications for studies of the effects of climate change on coral reproduction, particularly when seawater temperature exceeds ~28°C, when our results predict that larval respiration will be greatly reduced.

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Timing of reproduction in Montastraea annularis: relationship to environmental variables

Cited by 87 publications

References 25 publications

Twilight spectral dynamics and the coral reef invertebrate spawning response

Twilight spectral dynamics and the coral reef invertebrate spawning response

Chronobiology by moonlight

Effects of temperature on the respiration of brooded larvae from tropical reef corals

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