An aquarium experiment for identifying the physical factors inducing morphological change in two massive scleractinian corals

Previous research has demonstrated that the massive corals Favia speciosa (Dana, 1846) and Diploastrea heliopora (Lamark, 1816) are phenotypically plastic, i.e. the phenotype of these species can be altered by environmental conditions within their life span. Many researchers have suggested that ligh...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental marine biology and ecology 2004-02, Vol.299 (1), p.97-113
Main Authors: Todd, P.A., Sidle, R.C., Lewin-Koh, N.J.I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Diploastrea heliopora
Favia speciosa
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Heliopora
Hydraulic energy
Light
Marine
Phenotypic plasticity
Scleractinia
Sea water ecosystems
Sediment
Small-scale coral morphology
Synecology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Previous research has demonstrated that the massive corals Favia speciosa (Dana, 1846) and Diploastrea heliopora (Lamark, 1816) are phenotypically plastic, i.e. the phenotype of these species can be altered by environmental conditions within their life span. Many researchers have suggested that light, water movement and/or sediment can affect coral morphology, but no work to date has attempted to separate these variables in a controlled aquarium experiment. To ascertain whether any of these three factors could induce morphological change in F. speciosa and D. heliopora, fragments (clone-mates) of both species were maintained in five aquarium tanks, representing: high water energy, high sedimentation, and three different light regimes. After 4 months, the architecture of 12 randomly chosen corallites from each fragment was measured. Reaction norms suggest a relationship between corallite morphology and light, but no consistent pattern could be detected for fragments kept in the sediment regime tank or the high water energy tank. Corallites expand, extend and deepen in high light conditions and possible functional explanations for this response are presented. However, more research is necessary to confirm that light is the primary controlling factor inducing small-scale morphological change in F. speciosa and D. heliopora.
ISSN:0022-0981
1879-1697
DOI:10.1016/j.jembe.2003.09.005