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PeerJ
2016 Jan 01;4:e2544. doi: 10.7717/peerj.2544.
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The potential for self-seeding by the coral Pocillopora spp. in Moorea, French Polynesia.
Tsounis G
,
Edmunds PJ
.
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Coral reefs in Moorea, French Polynesia, suffered catastrophic coral mortality through predation by Acanthaster planci from 2006 to 2010, and Cyclone Oli in 2010, yet by 2015 some coral populations were approaching pre-disturbance sizes. Using long-term study plots, we quantified population dynamics of spawning Pocillopora spp. along the north shore of Moorea between 2010 and 2014, and considered evidence that population recovery could be supported by self-seeding. Results scaled up from study plots and settlement tiles suggest that the number of Pocillopora spp. colonies on the outer reef increased 1,890-fold between 2010 and 2014/2015, and in the back reef, 8-fold between 2010 and 2014/2015. Assuming that spawning Pocillopora spp. in Moorea release similar numbers of eggs as con-generics in Hawaii, and fertilization success is similar to other spawning corals, the capacity of Pocillopora spp. to produce larvae was estimated. These estimates suggest that Pocillopora spp. in Moorea produced a large excess of larvae in 2010 and 2014 relative to the number required to produce the recruits found in the back reef and outer reef in 2010 and 2014, even assuming that ∼99.9% of the larvae do not recruit in Moorea. Less than a third of the recruits in one year would have to survive to produce the juvenile Pocillopora spp. found in the back and outer reefs in 2010 and 2014/2015. Our first order approximations reveal the potential for Pocillopora spp. on the north shore of Moorea to produce enough larvae to support local recruitment and population recovery following a catastrophic disturbance.
Figure 2. Abundance of three life stages of Pocillopora spp. on the north shore of Moorea in 2010, 2014, and January 2015 for pocilloporid recruits (A–E), juvenile Pocillopora spp. colonies (F–H), and all Pocillopora spp. colonies (I–M).Values shown are mean ± SE for the outer reef at 10-m depth (upper row), outer reef 17-m depth (middle row), and back reef (lower row); data are not available for juvenile corals at 17-m depth. Recruits were censused in January and September of each year, and all other surveys were conducted in April and May. (A–D) recruits at LTER 1 and 2, (E) recruits at three back reef sites in the middle of the north shore, (F, G) juveniles at LTER 1 and 2, (H) juveniles at LTER 1 and 2 in 2010, and at multiple sites in January 2015, (I–L) all Pocillopora spp. colonies at LTER 1 and 2, and (M) all Pocillopora spp. colonies at LTER 1 and 2 in 2010, and at multiple sites in January 2015.
Figure 4. The outer reef on the north shore of Moorea in April 2015.This reef is at ∼12 m depth and the image shows the high density of pocilloporid corals that have grown since 2010.
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