Study

Effects of thermal conditioning on the performance of Pocillopora acuta adult coral colonies and their offspring

  • Published source details McRae C.J., Huang W.B., Fan T.Y. & Côté I.M. (2021) Effects of thermal conditioning on the performance of Pocillopora acuta adult coral colonies and their offspring. Coral Reefs, 40, 1491-1503.

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 2017 in a laboratory in southern Taiwan (McRae et al. 2021) found that cultivated Pocillopora acuta larvae survived for at least 7–9 weeks at two different temperatures, but growth rate was not affected by temperature. For larvae sourced from adults held at 26°C, survival was similar at both settlement temperatures (49–56% after 7 weeks). For larvae sourced from adults held at 29.5 °C, survival was similar for all temperature treatments in April (33–50% after 9 weeks), but in May, survival was higher when they settled at 26°C (57% after 7 weeks) than when they settled at 29.5 °C (31% after 7 weeks). Larval growth was not affected by settlement temperature, but larvae from adults held at 26°C were larger in six of seven comparisons than those from adults held at 29.5°C. In addition, colonies held at 26°C released more larvae than those held at 29.5°C in March and April (26°C: 571–1,160 larvae; 29.5°C: 516–671 larvae,), but released fewer larvae in May (26°C: 693 larvae; 29.5°C: 908 larvae). In February 2017, twenty-four coral colonies (diameter 14 cm) were collected from a reef and transported to an ex-situ laboratory (flow-through tanks). Colonies were randomly assigned to one of two temperature treatments (26°C, average spring temperature; or 29.5°C, above average spring temperature) with 12 colonies/treatment. In March, April and May 2017, coral larvae released from adult colonies were collected on peak release days and split across 24 containers (12 containers/temperature treatment). Containers were randomly assigned to tanks at 26°C or 29.5°C. Each tank contained a ceramic tile, and settlement onto the tile was recorded daily for a week. Survival and growth were then monitored one, three, seven and nine weeks after settlement.

    (Summarised by: William Morgan)

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