[Coral-List] August coral spawning observations from Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary

Emma Hickerson emma.hickerson at noaa.gov
Fri Sep 9 18:43:11 EDT 2011


Apologies for the late posting:

The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary research team, along 
with researchers from the University of Texas (UT) and the Navy Research 
Laboratory (NRL), documented the annual spawning event at the Sanctuary, 
a research project funded by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. 
The team conducted scuba dives and Bio-Acoustic surveys at the East 
Flower Garden Bank during the coral spawning event, and made the 
following observations:

Full moon occurred on August 13^th , 2011 at 18:57 GMT

Times listed below are in CDT

August 19^th , 2011:

10:00 Christmas tree worms (/Spirobranchus giganteus) /observed spawning

21:40-22:00 /Montastraea franksi /observed spawning

21:25-22:30+ /Diploria strigosa/ observed spawning (3 colonies)

21:15 /Montastraea cavernosa/ (female) observed spawning (one colony)

21:40 /Stephanocoenia intersepta/ observed spawning (4 males, 1 female)

21:00 few brittle stars (/Ophioderma rubicundum/) spawning

August 20^th , 2011:

21:15-22:40+ /Montastraea franksi /observed spawning (80% of colonies)

21:15-22:30+ /Diploria strigosa/ observed spawning

22:30+ /Stephanocoenia intersepta/ observed spawning (5 males, 1 female)

21:00 few brittle stars (/Ophioderma rubicundum/) spawning

23:00+ /Montastraea faveolata/ observed with gametes set, but no 
spawning observed

21:15-22:00 /Montastraea cavernosa/ observed spawning (1 male, 1 female)

(+ indicates spawning was still occurring when divers exited the water)

Water temperature on the reef was 30^o c, salinity was 35.7ppt, sea 
state was 0-1ft, and a no current was present.

Observations made by the NRL Bio-acoustic surveys showed that the coral 
spawning presented a unique signature visible on the acoustic data.

No sponges were observed spawning during this cruise.

Observers included:

Sarah Daives (UT)

Eli Meyers (UT)

Dr. Misha Matz (UT)

John Embesi (FGBNMS)

Ryan Eckert (FGBNMS)

Marissa Nuttall (FGBNMS)



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Emma L. Hickerson
Research Coordinator
emma.hickerson at noaa.gov

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
4700 Avenue U, Bldg. 216
Galveston, TX  77551

Phone:  409-621-5151
cell:  979-777-3895
fax: 409-621-1316

flowergarden.noaa.gov
sanctuaries.noaa.gov
www.ncddc.noaa.gov/website/google_maps/FGB/mapsFGB.htm
www.facebook.com/FGBNMS





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