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Larval settlement preferences and post-settlement survival of the threatened Caribbean corals Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis

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Abstract

The settlement specificity of two threatened Caribbean corals, Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis, was tested by measuring their rates of larval metamorphosis in response to crustose coralline algae (CCA) and other substrata. In the no-choice experiments, the coral larvae were placed in six treatments: filtered seawater (FSW), a fragment of biofilmed dead skeleton of A. palmata, or a fragment of one of four species of CCA (Hydrolithon boergesenii, Porolithon pachydermum, Paragoniolithon solubile, and Titanoderma prototypum). Within each CCA treatment, there were three different substrata on which to settle and metamorphose: (1) the CCA surface, (2) the rock under the CCA, or (3) the plastic dish. The 5-day-old larvae of both A. palmata and A. cervicornis had similar rates of total metamorphosis (all substrata combined) in every treatment (excluding FSW) even in the absence of CCA. However, there were differences in larval behavior among the CCA species since the larvae settled and metamorphosed on different substrata in the presence of different CCA species. In the no-choice experiments the larvae of both corals had higher rates of metamorphosis on the top surfaces of H. boergesenii and/or T. prototypum than on P. pachydermum. In the choice experiments, the coral larvae were offered two species of CCA in the same dish. When given a choice, both species of coral larvae had more settlement and metamorphosis on the surface of H. boergesenii or T. prototypum or clean rock than onto the surface of P. solubile. After 6 weeks in the field, transplanted A. palmata recruits had approximately 15% survival on both T. prototypum and H. boergesenii, but A. cervicornis recruits only survived on T. prototypum (13%). Some, but not all, CCA species facilitated the larval settlement and post-settlement survival of these two threatened corals, highlighting the importance of benthic community composition for successful coral recruitment.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Klaus Rützler and Michael Carpenter for facilitating our research at Carrie Bow Cay in Belize. We thank Belize Fisheries Department for providing us with permits and facilitating our research in Belize. Nikki Fogarty and Kathy Morrow were invaluable in providing field assistance. Lee-Ann Hayek provided statistical advice. The manuscript was improved by the comments of two anonymous reviewers. This research was funded by the Smithsonian Marine Science Network and the Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems (CCRE) Program. Additional funding for RSS and SNA was from the Connectivity Working Group of the World Bank’s Global Environment Facility project, Coral Reef Targeted Research and Capacity Building for Management. This is contribution # 807 of the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce and is # 868 of the CCRE program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, 701 Seaway Dr., Fort Pierce, FL, 34949, USA

    R. Ritson-Williams & Valerie J. Paul

  2. School of Marine Sciences, Darling Marine Center, University of Maine, Walpole, ME, 04573, USA

    S. N. Arnold & R. S. Steneck

Authors
  1. R. Ritson-Williams
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  2. Valerie J. Paul
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  3. S. N. Arnold
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  4. R. S. Steneck
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Correspondence to Valerie J. Paul.

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Communicated by Biology Editor Dr. Andrew Baird

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Ritson-Williams, R., Paul, V.J., Arnold, S.N. et al. Larval settlement preferences and post-settlement survival of the threatened Caribbean corals Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis . Coral Reefs 29, 71–81 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-009-0555-z

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