[Coral-List] Coral Reefs Optimism

[William Precht]

The fact that the species observed spawning were species that spawned on
their expected dates and times makes this mass abortion hypothesis pretty
weak.  Whether or not these gamete bundles will be viable or not is another
question since the corals - both the Acoporids and Orbicella’s - have
sexually reproduced and recruited extremely poorly (non-existantly) for
decades throughout the Caribbean.

Although there is a high cost associated with reproduction, it is
imperative to perpetuate the species -  this is the biological imperative!
Therefore, heavier than normal  gamete production maybe be triggered by a
thermal stress event - that may be what we are witnessing here in Florida
during this horrific heatwave

I have witnessed this before in corals that have been stressed from
disease.

Bill

On Mon, Aug 14, 2023 at 8:55 AM International Coral Reef Observatory via
Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,
>
> We have also received reports from other parts of the Caribbean Sea.
> Dr. Thomas Goreau mentioned that coral spawning in Florida is probably
> heat-induced mass abortion of immature eggs and sperm that are unlikely to
> be viable. He has seen mass premature release of coral spawn triggered by
> bleaching events in Indonesia, so much that the sea surface was red and
> yellow! There was little coral recruitment the following year, and it took
> several years for reproductive recovery of annually spawning species.
>
>
>
> In the 1980s, He found bleached corals did not lay down skeleton bands
> marking reproduction, because they did not have sufficient energy to spawn.
>
>
>
> Dr. Goreau also found in Seychelles and Maldives that pre-reproductive
> juvenile corals had much higher bleaching survival than adults, because
> they had not invested energy in reproduction.
>
>
>
> Bleaching started last month in Panama, but like Colombia, Panama is at the
> moment protected by upwelling off La Guajira, however that will stop soon,
> the waters will warm up again, and bleaching may resume then. In Colombia,
> spawning may start at the end of August or in September.
>
>
>
> Nohora Galvis
> ICRS World Reef Award Winner
> ICRO Transdisciplinary Researcher
> International Coral Reef Observatory
> Follow us on Facebook.com/ICRObservatory
> on Twitter / Instagram / YouTube  ICR_Observatory
>
> El mié, 9 ago 2023 a las 19:01, International Coral Reef Observatory (<
> icrobservatory at gmail.com>) escribió:
>
> > Dear Colleagues,
> >
> > Good news from Corals Spawning by Dr.
> > Liv Williamson, Ph.D.
> > <https://twitter.com/livwilliamson>
> > <https://twitter.com/livwilliamson>
> > @livwilliamson
> > <https://twitter.com/livwilliamson>:
> >
> > From Orbicella faveolata at Horseshoe Reef last night!
> > https://twitter.com/livwilliamson/status/1689405494782214144
> >
> > Acropora cervicoris on August 5 2023 in Key Largo
> > https://twitter.com/livwilliamson/status/1687856448037064704
> >
> > A ray of hope: surprisingly robust spawning on 8/2 and 8/3 from both
> > Acropora cervicornis and Acropora palmata at North Dry Rocks, despite
> > extensive paling, bleaching, & tissue loss/mortality. August 4 2023
> > https://twitter.com/livwilliamson/status/1687570354569363458
> >
> > In situ (Florida Keys) Observations reported in Spanish
> >
> https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=664918835669508&set=a.457741103053950
> >
> > Nohora Galvis
> > ICRS World Reef Award Winner
> > ICRO Transdisciplinary Researcher
> > International Coral Reef Observatory
> > Follow us on Facebook.com/ICRObservatory
> > on Twitter / Instagram / YouTube  ICR_Observatory
> >
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