NOAA's Undersea Research Center at the University of North Carolina Wilmington
Project Summary: 2006-03-02

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2006 Project Summaries

Project Summary for 2006-03-02: Coral spawn support

Two important reef-building corals on Florida and Caribbean coral reefs are Acropora palmata and Montastraea faveolata. These long-lived species form large colonies that over the Pleistocene-Holocene time frame have made major contributions to reef building in this geographic area. Both have suffered large losses in live cover over the past three decades due to bleaching, diseases and storm damage. Unfortunately, research on aspects of coral biology important to their management and conservation, such as the functional aspects of the establishment of their obligate symbiosis with dinoflagellate algae (zooxanthellae), and their reproductive ecology and early life history, only began in earnest as their populations were declining. It is urgent that we make better progress in understanding these and other important aspects of the biology and ecology of these animals before their populations decline any further.

With this proposal we are seeking NURC logistic support and a small amount of funding to help support the critical two-week spawning period during the summer of 2006. The two project groups have been working together successfully for two years now, sharing boats, man-power and other logistics during the actual spawn period. Both suffered set backs during the summer of 2004 due to the four hurricanes that affected the Key Largo area that summer, but are set to continue the work this summer (2005) with remaining and new resources. While the funding we have is substantial, we are always under-staffed for the intense period of summer field work. Much of our funding for summer help and logistics will have been used up during the summer of 2005. The two grants in hand represent substantial co-funding for the NURC project. In addition, part of Szmant's salary, and her post-doc salary are State of NC funded and thus constitute matching funds.

The specific objectives of the funded work to be conducted during the summer of 2006 will be to:

• Collect large amounts of spawn of each species, and raise the larvae to competency. Much of the larval rearing will be conducted using the Carysfort Lighthouse as the field laboratory to gain access to am ample supply of clean seawater.
• Conduct settlement experiments with these larvae onto reef substrates both in the field and under captive conidtions. The in situ settlement is meant to re-seed depleted reef substrates. The lab settlement will be done using small pieces of reef rubble that can be transplanted to depleted substrates, also for restoration.
• Use the cultured larvae to investigate using genomic and other molecular tools, the establishment of the coral-zooxanthella symbiosis, and the onset of calcification by newly settled corals.
• Monitoring and research projects that specifically identify factors responsible for causing direct and indirect effects of coral decline. For example, how much coral is killed by coral bleaching, disease, and other factors.

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