Depth-Independent Reproduction in the Reef Coral Porites astreoides from Shallow to Mesophotic Zones

Mesophotic coral ecosystems between 30-150 m may be important refugia habitat for coral reefs and associated benthic communities from climate change and coastal development. However, reduced light at mesophotic depths may present an energetic challenge to the successful reproduction of light-depende...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2016-01, Vol.11 (1), p.e0146068-e0146068
Main Authors: Holstein, Daniel M, Smith, Tyler B, Paris, Claire B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acropora palifera
Analysis
Animals
Anthozoa - anatomy & histology
Anthozoa - physiology
Atmospheric sciences
Benthic communities
Climate change
Coastal climates
Coastal development
Connectivity
Coral Reefs
Ecosystems
Environmental aspects
Environmental changes
Environmental studies
Fecundity
Fisheries
Habitats
Histology
Metapopulations
Models, Biological
Paraffin
Pocillopora damicornis
Porites astreoides
Refugia
Reproduction
Reproduction - physiology
United States Virgin Islands
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Summary:Mesophotic coral ecosystems between 30-150 m may be important refugia habitat for coral reefs and associated benthic communities from climate change and coastal development. However, reduced light at mesophotic depths may present an energetic challenge to the successful reproduction of light-dependent coral organisms, and limit this refugia potential. Here, the relationship of depth and fecundity was investigated in a brooding depth-generalist scleractinian coral, Porites astreoides from 5-37 m in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) using paraffin tissue histology. Despite a trend of increasing planulae production with depth, no significant differences were found in mean peak planulae density between shallow, mid-depth and mesophotic sites. Differential planulae production over depth is thus controlled by P. astreoides coral cover, which peaks at 10 m and ~35 m in the USVI. These results suggest that mesophotic ecosystems are reproductive refuge for P. astreoides in the USVI, and may behave as refugia for P. astreoides metapopulations providing that vertical larval exchanges are viable.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0146068