Rapid egg transport following coral mass spawning at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

Anna Metaxas, Robert E. Scheibling

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

During mass spawning of tropical corals, extremely dense accumulations of eggs develop throughout the water column, the fate of which depends on physical conditions, such as topography, currents, and prevailing winds. We measured egg transport [mainly acroporid corals and the palolo worm, Eunice viridis (Gray, 1847)] during a mass spawning at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, in April 2010. We tracked changes in egg and embryo abundance in the lagoon over five consecutive days with plankton tows at the sea surface immediately after spawning and four and 16 hours later, and characterized the flow regime with drifter deployments. Egg dispersal was rapid with a pronounced decrease in concentration within four hours of spawning, from approximately 106 to 101 and 104 m-3 for corals and E. viridis, respectively, on the peak date; few eggs or embryos remained within the lagoon after 16 hrs. Changes in concentration of eggs and embryos along transects inside the lagoon and perpendicular to the reef flat reflected the local hydrodynamics and high flushing rate, providing empirical support for a biophysical model from the same site.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)529-544
Number of pages16
JournalBulletin of Marine Science
Volume92
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science of the University of Miami.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Oceanography
  • Aquatic Science

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