[Coral-List] Belize coral spawning

[Williams, Raphael]

Hi Coral-list, here are our observations for coral spawning in Belize during the July full moon.

Coral spawning monitoring-Carrie Bow Cay (CBC) Field Station, Belize 2010 (observers include Susie Arnold, Valerie Paul, Lindsay Spiers, Zack Foltz, Craig Sherwood, Carly Moulis)
Full moon night of July 25th
July 26th-No monitoring
July 27th-No spawning observed. Monitored small patch reef, too rough for CBC reef.
July 28th-No spawning observed-monitored CBC reef from 7:45-9:30pm.
July 29th-Observed Acropora palmata spawning. Only a few colonies and one or two branches within those colonies. Monitored CBC reef from 7:45-9:45pm.
July 30th- Observed Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis spawning. This was a large spawn of A. palmata (set approx. 8:10 pm and release 8:45 pm). Many colonies released gametes and typically it was the entire colony. We also observed a few A. cervicornis release gametes shortly (approx 20 min.) after the A. palmata. Monitored CBC reef from 7:45-10pm.
July 31st- Observed Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis spawning. This was a large spawn of A. cervicornis. Many colonies released gametes (set approx.. 8:15 and release 9:10 pm) and typically it was the entire colony. We also observed some of the same A. palmata colonies release gametes as on the previous two nights.  Monitored CBC reef from 7:45-10pm.
August 1st-Observed one A. palmata colony release gamete bundles. Also observed 5-6 Siderastrea siderea males releasing sperm (10:05-10:20pm). Monitored CBC reef from 9:15-10:30pm.
August 2nd-No spawning observed. Monitored CBC reef from 9:40-10:20.
Raphael Ritson-Williams
Laboratory Technician-Marine Chemical Ecology
Smithsonian Marine Station, 701 Seaway Dr., Fort Pierce, Florida 34949
williams at si.edu<mailto:williams at si.edu>