Meeting Abstract

62.5  Wednesday, Jan. 6  Do coral larvae choose between species of coralline algae? RITSON-WILLIAMS, R.*; PAUL, V. J.; ARNOLD, S. N.; STENECK, R. S.; Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce; Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce; University of Maine, Darling Marine Center, Maine; University of Maine, Darling Marine Center, Maine williams@si.edu

Coral reefs throughout the Caribbean are experiencing an unprecedented decline in coral populations. To determine what habitats are required by coral larvae we tested the settlement specificity of three spawning Caribbean corals, Acropora palmata, A. cervicornis and Diploria strigosa, and the brooding coral Favia fragum by measuring their rates of larval settlement and metamorphosis in response to crustose coralline algae (CCA) and other substrata. In choice experiments the coral larvae were offered two species of CCA in the same dish, giving them 5 substrata to settle on; The CCA surface of either species, the rock under either species, or the dish that held the experiment. When given a choice, A. palmata, A. cervicornis, D. strigosa and F. fragum larvae had more settlement and metamorphosis on the surface of Hydrolithon boergesenii or Titanoderma prototypum or clean rock than onto the surface of Paragoniolithon solubile or the dish. When given a choice between H. boergesenii and T. prototypum there was no difference in the amount of settlement and metamorphosis onto the CCA and rock substrata available for any of the larvae except for A. palmata, which had higher rates of settlement on the surface of H. boergesenii than on the surface or rock of T. prototypum. There is a hierarchy of settlement substrata that coral larvae prefer for settlement and metamorphosis, which is critical information to increase coral recruitment on reefs.