Larval longevity and competency patterns of Caribbean reef-building corals
The potential for long-distance larval dispersal depends on the longevity of planktonic, free-swimming larvae and their capacity to successfully recruit to reef habitat. We present multi-year laboratory observations of the persistence of planular larvae a...
What drives phenotypic divergence among coral clonemates of Acropora palmata?
Evolutionary rescue of populations depends on their ability to produce phenotypic variation that is heritable and adaptive. DNA mutations are the best understood mechanisms to create phenotypic variation, but other, less well‐studied mechanisms exist. Mar...
Synchronous spawning of nursery-raised elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) outplanted to reefs in the Florida Keys (United States)
Here, we provide the first reports of spawning activity by Acropora palmata colonies outplanted to reefs in Florida, USA. In 2020, we observed light spawning from A. palmata colonies five years after they had been outplanted on two Florida reefs. In 2021 ...
Neighboring colonies influence uptake of thermotolerant endosymbionts in threatened Caribbean coral recruits
Intervention strategies to enhance coral resilience include manipulating associations with algal endosymbionts. While hosting thermotolerant Durusdinium trenchii can increase bleaching thresholds in Caribbean coral adults, its effects remain largely unkno...
Demographic Monitoring of juvenile Acropora spp. in the Florida Keys 2002
Caribbean acroporid species have undergone extreme declines in abundance since the 1980s. Population-level recovery will depend on re-colonization by juveniles (fragments or sexual recruits), which are particularly vulnerable to threats such as predation...
Opportunistic consumption of coral spawn by the ruby brittle star (Ophioderma rubicundum)
Many reef invertebrates reproduce through simultaneous broadcast spawning, with an apparent advantage of overwhelming potential predators and maximizing propagule survival. Although reef fish have been observed to consume coral gamete bundles during spawn...
Elkhorn coral fragment stabilization protocol an evaluation of 2 methods
The following protocol is intended to guide the salvage and restoration of small (<50cm) fragments from Acropora palmata colonies. The guidelines here are based on the results of an in situ field experiment comparing 2 different attachment methods. Addi-t...
Genotypic variation in disease susceptibility among cultured stocks of elkhorn and staghorn corals
Disease mortality has been a primary driver of population declines and the threatened status of the foundational Caribbean corals, Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis. There remain few tools to effectively manage coral disease. Substantial investment is f...
Microbiome differences in disease-resistant vs. susceptible Acropora corals subjected to disease challenge assays
In recent decades coral gardening has become increasingly popular to restore degraded reef ecosystems. However, the growth and survivorship of nursery-reared outplanted corals are highly variable. Scientists are trying to identify genotypes that show sign...
Disease Resistance of Acropora spp. in Florida Nursery Stocks
Lethal disease remains a major hurdle to species recovery and to long term sustainabily of population enhancement efforts for Caribbean Acropora spp. This dataset gives results of field-based direct contact challenge assays to discern relative disease re...
Larval longevity and competency patterns of Caribbean reef-building corals
Demographic Monitoring of juvenile Acropora spp. in the Florida Keys 2002