Study

Recruit symbiosis establishment and Symbiodiniaceae composition influenced by adult corals and reef sediment

  • Published source details Ali A., Kriefall N.G., Emery L.E., Kenkel C.D., Matz M.V. & Davies S.W. (2019) Recruit symbiosis establishment and Symbiodiniaceae composition influenced by adult corals and reef sediment. Coral Reefs, 38, 405-415.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Cultivate corals in an ex-situ nursery

Action Link
Coral Conservation
  1. Cultivate corals in an ex-situ nursery

    A replicated, randomized, controlled study in 2012 at a laboratory in Austin, Texas, USA (Ali et al. 2019) found that cultivating stony coral Pseudodiploria strigosa larvae in tanks containing sediment from their collection site and an adult stony coral Orbicella faveolata led to a higher uptake of zooxanthellae (beneficial algae) than larvae cultivated without sediment or adult fragment or in natural seawater. Fifty-six days after settled larvae were placed into tanks, uptake of zooxanthellae was significantly higher for larvae in the sediment+coral tanks (100%) compared to the sediment only (67%), coral only (11%) and seawater control (0%). There were no other significant differences between treatments. In August 2012, egg/sperm bundles collected from eight wild-growing Pseudodiploria strigosa colonies at Flower Garden Banks reef, Gulf of Mexico, USA, were left in plastic tubs to cross-fertilize before being transferred to a laboratory and to settle onto plastic settlement tiles. In addition, six one-gallon bags of sediment collected from 23 m deep immediately below the coral colonies and a large fragment from an adult Orbicella faveolate, collected at the same time, were also taken to the laboratory. Twelve tanks, filled with artificial seawater, were assigned one of four treatments (3-cm layer of sediment+O. faveolata fragment; sediment only; coral fragment only; or seawater control). Settled larvae were randomly assigned to one of the 12 tanks. Recruits were monitored daily for a week then every three days for a further 55 days. Uptake of zooxanthellae was assessed using a fluorescent stereomicroscope.

    (Summarised by: Ann Thornton)

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