Abstract
Seasonal differences in the timing of multi-specific coral spawning between the east and west coasts of Australia may be the result of a genetic legacy or of adaptation to local conditions. Using estimates of the proportions of coral species that spawned in spring and autumn at Ashmore Reef (12°S) and Ningaloo Reef (23°S) in Western Australia, in combination with findings of previous surveys, I examined whether reproductive seasonality varied with latitude. A consistently high proportion of species spawned during the main reproductive season in autumn regardless of latitude. However, there was a clear decrease in the proportion of species spawning in spring, from an average of 49 % at Ashmore Reef (12°S) to 7 % at Ningaloo Reef (23°S). The results of this study suggest that seasonality of coral reproduction in Western Australia reflects environmental gradients and natural selection rather than an inherited genetic legacy.
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Acknowledgments
Many thanks to Mike Johnson, Inger Shimell, Brad Burzec, Ivor Bruce, the crew on the Ashmore Guardian, Paul Muir, and Carden Wallace for their assistance in this study. Thanks also to Hugh Sweatman and two anonymous reviewers whose comments significantly improved this manuscript. The department of SEWPAC, Australian Customs and the North West Research Station provided logistical support for this study, and the School of Animal Biology at UWA, an Australian Postgraduate Award and the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment provided funding.
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Communicated by Biology Editor Dr. Hugh Sweatman
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Rosser, N.L. Biannual coral spawning decreases at higher latitudes on Western Australian reefs. Coral Reefs 32, 455–460 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-012-0986-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-012-0986-9