Temperature-driven secondary competence windows may increase the dispersal potential of invasive sun corals

• Published in: Marine biology 2019-10, Vol.166 (10), p.1-7, Article 131
• Main Authors: Barbosa, Andreia C. C., Vinagre, Catarina, Mizrahi, Damián, Flores, Augusto A. V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Benthos; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Climate change; Cold; Cold front; Cold fronts; Colonies; Coral reefs; Corals; Developmental plasticity; Dispersal; Duration; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Heat waves; Larvae; Life Sciences; Marine & Freshwater Sciences; Marine biology; Metamorphosis; Microbiology; Mortality; Oceanography; Polyps; Polyps (organisms); Propagules; Short Notes; Survival; Temperature; Temperature effects; Zoology
• ISSN: 0025-3162; 1432-1793
• DOI: 10.1007/s00227-019-3580-7

Invasive sun corals exhibit outstanding development plasticity during early ontogenesis, which may greatly affect the pelagic duration of propagules and hence their dispersal potential. Remarkably, a small proportion of larvae may not directly settle on the benthic habitat, but metamorphose to planktonic polyps. We show the latter may settle successfully, eventually opening a secondary competence window (SCW). Based on local conditions (Southeast Brazil), delayed SCWs were confirmed at average summer (26 °C) and, especially, at heat-wave (30 °C) temperature, allowing an escape response from habitats where larval mortality rates are high and mass-mortality events of colonies, later on, more likely. Despite a higher frequency of pelagic metamorphosis, no SCWs were observed at average winter (22 °C) and cold-front (19 °C) conditions. Climate change may thus favor large-scale dispersal of competent pelagic polyps and further extensions of the leading range edge to subtropical and warm temperate regions where temperature conditions (ca. 22 °C) for propagule survival and settlement success are best.