11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

Oral Mini-Symposium 11: From Molecules to Moonbeams: How is Reproductive Timing Regulated in Coral Reef Organisms?
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Reproductive Cycle Of The Deep-Sea Coral, drifa Glomerata (Octocorallia:
Alcyonacea), in The Nw Atlantic
ZHAO SUN* 1 , JEAN-FRANÇOIS HAMEL 2 , ANNIE MERCIER 1
1 Ocean Sciences Centre (OSC), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, NL,
Canada, 2 Society for the Exploration and Valuing of the Environment (SEVE), St John's,
NL, Canada
This study of the mode and timing of reproduction in bathyal corals was undertaken in an
effort to gather information on poorly understood deep-water species. Colonies of Drifa
glomerata were collected between 103 and 334 m off Newfoundland (eastern Canada)
from November 2004 to December 2007. They were frozen at -20 · C and studied using a
mix of micro-dissection and histological procedures. The ratio of reproductively active
colonies, with mature planulae, was >50% all year round, suggesting the capacity to
release larvae throughout the year. Among the breeding colonies, the number of planulae
within a single reproductive polyp varied from 1 to 8, with an average between 2 and 5.
The number of reproductive polyps per colony varied from 2 to 1030 and was positively
correlated with the size of the colony. Fecundity, expressed in planulae g-1, showed a
seasonal trend with an increase between November and January and lower values in
June-July of a given year. Inversely, the average size of oocytes or planulae decreased
from November to January, and this trend was detectable in both polyps and branchlets.
The average surface area of the oocytes or planulae was consistently greater in the polyps
than in the branchlets across all dates and depths, indicating that the development
pathway of planulae is from the coelenteron to the polyps. Based on these data, we
believe the peak breeding season may be between November and February, when new
planulae are produced and large mature larvae are released.
11-34
The Influence Of Size, Morphology And Parental Conditions On Coral
Reproductive Outputs
Jacqueline PADILLA-GAMINO* 1,2 , Ruth GATES 3
1 Oceanography, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, 2 Hawaii Institute of Marine
Biology, Kaneohe, 3 Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, Kaneohe, HI
Understanding factors that influence the reproductive biology of corals is fundamental to
predicting the future of coral communities in the face of climate change and/or
anthropogenic disturbances. While several studies have analyzed the size at which corals
become sexually reproductive, few have focused on the reproductive ecology of corals
belonging to larger size classes. This is due to the difficulty in transporting large colonies
to aquaria for study and designing devices large enough to deploy over these colonies that
allow gametes to be collected in the field. To better understand the relationships between
size, morphology and reproductive capacity, this study examined in situ reproductive
outputs (gametes) in three size classes and two morphologies of the hermaphrodite
spawning coral Montipora capitata in Hawaii. Gametes were collected from plating and
branching corals situated in two environments for each of three months in the summer of
2007. Regardless of morphology and environment, colonies spawned simultaneously and
had similar egg sizes, number of eggs per bundle, endosymbiont densities and
chlorophyll concentrations. There was a significant difference in the egg size and number
of eggs per bundle for the different months sampled with egg size being negatively
correlated with the number of eggs per bundle. Earlier in the reproductive season (June)
there were a high number of small eggs per bundle as compared to later in the season
(July and August) when there were a smaller number of large eggs per bundle. Current
analyses are focused on comparing a suite of physiological traits in coral eggs and their
parental colonies. These include endosymbiont identities and densities, chlorophyll, lipid
and protein concentrations; and mycosporine-like amino acid profiles.
11-35
Density And Size Of Aaptos Aaptos Sponge Gametes
Mujizat KAWAROE 1 , Mujizat KAWAROE* 1
1 Marine Science and Technology, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia
The reproduction of the demospongia Aaptos aaptos in Pari Island (Jakarta Bay) was studied
histologically during March 2007. One hundred and fifty thousand transplanted individuals
sponges were sampled from northern and southern and examined with light microscopy for the
presence of gametes. The species is ovoviviparous and no males were found, possibly owing to
the very short period of spermatogenesis. The non mature oosit with high density were present
at surrounding mesohyl layer. And the mature oosit with low density were moved to brood
chamber. Sponges transplanted with fragmentation involved sexual reproduction on the prior
development stage (177 days), meanwhile within 241 days, the sponge average size increased to
11,70 cm and 11,83 cm, reproduction activity have been increased. The present results
demonstrated that oosit average size of Aaptos aaptos from transplanted and nature could be
opposite with its density.
Key words : Aaptos aaptos, reproduction, gamete, transplanted, development,
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