[Coral-List] Is there a time limit up to which buoyant weight based growth rates are useful in corals?

Thomas Krueger thomas.krueger at epfl.ch
Wed Dec 21 07:16:54 EST 2016


Is there a time limit up to which buoyant weight based growth rates are 
useful in corals?
The buoyant weight technique is an easy method to determine coral 
growth. Due to the fact that growth rates are finally expressed as 
weight increments per day, do these values not become skewed for long 
incubation periods? Because, especially in foliaceous and massive 
corals, a substantial increase in surface area due to growth will cause 
an increase in the daily absolute CaCO3 depositions. Thus, an averaged 
growth number (mg day-1) derived from a couple of weeks or months of 
growth will be stronger influenced by the larger absolute weight gains 
in the last part of the incubation. Are there recommendations on the 
maximal time frames that are useful to calculate averaged daily growth 
rates based on buoyant weight? My question arises from the findings of 
Goreau & Goreau 1960 (Biological Bulletin 118 (3) 419-429) and Kawaguti 
1941 (Palao Trop. Biol. Sta. 2: 309-317), even though I have not read 
the second one. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


-- 

*--*

*Thomas Krueger */Postdoctoral Researcher/

Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry | École polytechnique fédérale de 
Lausanne (EPFL)

*P*: (+41) 21 69 38039



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