Meeting Abstract

P3.179  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Effects of Anthropogenic Stressors on Larval Recruitment in the Reef Coral Porites hawaiiensis ANSON, J.Y.*; RICHMOND, R.H.; MARTINEZ, J.A.; Kewalo Marine Laboratory, Honolulu, HI; Kewalo Marine Laboratory, Honolulu, HI; Kewalo Marine Laboratory, Honolulu, HI jorg@hawaii.edu

Anthropogenic stressors affecting nearshore ecosystems are an important problem throughout the Pacific Islands. Due to the rapid rate of coastal development in island nations, activities conducted within watersheds have immediate impacts on adjacent coastal zones. In Hawaii, the coral Porites hawaiiensis is primarily distributed in shallow water (0-3m) coastal ecosystems. P. hawaiiensis broods its larvae which are released daily, year-round. The availability of P. hawaiiensis larvae makes this a good model organism for analyzing the effects of anthropogenic stressors on coral recruitment and survival. Recruitment bioassays were performed using larvae exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of freshwater, terrigenous sediments and the anti-microbial soap additive Triclosan, in the presence of a suitable settlement cue. Our data revealed that these putative stressors can either prevent or enhance recruitment. This study revealed that both freshwater and sediment inhibited larval recruitment and Triclosan caused a slight increase in settlement and metamorphosis. These findings demonstrated larval sensitivity to water and substratum quality, and the importance of these parameters to the early life-history stages of corals and the persistence of coral reefs.