Eyal-Shaham Lee, Eyal Gal, Tamir Raz, Loya Yossi
Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel.
The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, P.O. Box 469, Eilat 8810369, Israel.
Sci Rep. 2016 Feb 10;6:20964. doi: 10.1038/srep20964.
Although the study of coral reproduction has advanced tremendously over the last few decades, a particular gap exists in our knowledge of the reproductive modes of corals from 'mesophotic coral ecosystems' (MCEs) found at 30-150 m depth. Here, we report for the first time on the reproductive patterns, living cover, and survivorship under different light treatments of two scleractinian species from the MCEs of Eilat, Red-Sea: Alveopora allingi and A. ocellata. Both species are found exclusively within MCEs and are high in both abundance and relative cover. These species display a synchronous gametogenic cycles with consecutive oocyte growth and development. Peak of reproductive activity occurs in late summer (September-October), typified by accelerated oocyte growth, coinciding with the rise in seawater temperature. Estimates of fecundity show mean monthly maxima of 48.5 ± 26.3 and 23.5 ± 11.8 (Mean ± SE) oocytes per cm(2) for A. allingi and A. ocellata respectively, prior to spawning. A comparison of light and temperature regimes in the shallow vs. MCE environments is presented, and the response of these species to changes in these parameters is discussed. A call encouraging the much-needed studies on the sexuality and reproductive modes of MCE coral species is expressed.
尽管在过去几十年里，珊瑚繁殖的研究取得了巨大进展，但我们对深度在30 - 150米的“中光层珊瑚生态系统”（MCEs）中的珊瑚繁殖模式的了解仍存在特定空白。在此，我们首次报告了来自红海埃拉特MCEs的两种石珊瑚：阿氏蜂巢珊瑚（Alveopora allingi）和眼斑蜂巢珊瑚（A. ocellata）在不同光照处理下的繁殖模式、活珊瑚覆盖度和存活率。这两个物种仅在MCEs中被发现，且丰度和相对覆盖度都很高。这些物种表现出同步的配子发生周期，伴随着连续的卵母细胞生长和发育。繁殖活动高峰期出现在夏末（9月至10月），其特征是卵母细胞生长加速，与海水温度升高相吻合。繁殖力估计显示，在产卵前，阿氏蜂巢珊瑚和眼斑蜂巢珊瑚每平方厘米的卵母细胞平均每月最大值分别为48.5 ± 26.3和23.5 ± 11.8（平均值 ± 标准误）。本文还比较了浅海与MCE环境中的光照和温度状况，并讨论了这些物种对这些参数变化的响应。文中呼吁开展对MCE珊瑚物种的性别和繁殖模式进行急需的研究。
