Miller, M.W.

Coral spawning and larval observations, upper Florida Keys, 2016

2016

NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center

SEFSC-PRBD 2016-16

Unpublished Report

"The SEFSC benthic team has led efforts, over many years, to document coral spawning and various aspects of larval ecology and early life history of upper Keys Acropora palmata and Orbicella faveolata (Miller et al. 2016). The 2016 coral spawning season has followed two consecutive years of severe late summer thermal stress in the Florida Keys (http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/vs/gauges/florida_keys.php) including mass coral bleaching of both these species. Based on published literature and observations by our team last year ((Levitan et al. 2014), less spawning was observed in 2015 by O. faveolata colonies that had bleached in 2014 compared to those that did not, Fisch et al. Pers. Comm.), there was expectation that spawning and/or larval performance might be compromised as a consequence of this severe and repeated stress on the parental population. Along with collaborators, we performed spawning observations and attempted gamete collection at Horseshoe Reef, Elbow Reef, Sand Island Reef, Grecian Rocks and Molasses Reef. Based on past experience, observations at each site were targeted to the nights within the expected lunar window when spawning by the target species was most likely. This was a somewhat different strategy than past years, where we invested more effort documenting lack of spawning on nights prior and after. Partly as a result, we were able to dedicate one boat-night observation to a site recently reported by the Florida Aquarium dive team (slightly northwest of the Benwood wreck) with an aggregation of a third ESA-listed coral species, Dendrogyra cylindrus."

FY2015 CRCP Project ID 30058; Project Title: Determination of fertilization, larval survivorship and competency period for ESA broadcasting corals; Principal Investigator: Margaret Miller