Reproduction of Corals
289
within a larger part of the coral community does not happen. It is
synchronous there too, but only within the specific population, not within
the whole community (Szamant-Froelich et al. 1984; Shlesinger and Loya
1985; Szamant 1986). Moreover, Atlantic corals differ from the Pacific
species not only in their periodicity of breeding but also in the ratios of
species with different types of gametogenesis and fertilization (Table 7.11),
which could be related to their relatively recent evolutionary origin in the
"young" Atlantic Ocean (Szamant 1986).
The types of sexual breeding in corals are directly related to the strategy
of their survival. The quickly growing ramose or foliose radicals, r-strategist
corals, are most often viviparous hermaphrodites, sometimes with elements
of hermaphroditism for which self-fertilization is usual. Thus, they
reproduce mostly their genetic copies. They breed monthly, year-round.
Their viviparity ensures them better success in fertilization and decreases the
time of the larval period. Their short-living planulae soon settle near their
parents, decreasing the rate of their mortality from grazing. Being
genetically identical to the parents, they are adapted to surviving in the
biotope where they were hatched. This increases their ability to compete
with stranger planules for substrate during their recruitment. These features
of breeding, besides their ability for vegetative propagation, provides rstrategist corals good chances of survival in the physically stressed zones,
where they often dominate (Loya 1972; Szamant 1986).
Table 7.11. Types of sexual breeding in common corals of the Indo-Pacific and western
Atlantic reefs (Data by Rinkevich and Loya (1979a,c); Kojis and Quinn (1980);
Richmond and Jokiel (1984); Szamant-Froelich et al. (1984); Szamant (1986); Babcock et
al. (1986)
Type of
Sexual
Corals of Indo-Pacific
breeding
status
Viviparous Bisexual
Porites murrayensis,
Dendrophyllia, Tubastrea
Hermaph- Stylophora pistillata, Pocillopora
rodites
damicornis," P. caespitosa,
P. meandrina, Acropora
palifera, A. cuneata, A.
formosa, Galaxea aspera,
Cyphastrea ocillina
Spawning
Bisexual
Fam. Fungiidea, fam. Poritidae,
fam. Agaricidae,
(Pachyseris), fam.
Caryophilliidae.
HermaphFam. Acroporidae,b fam.
rodites
Faviidae, fam. Merulinidae,
fam. Mussidae, fam.
Oculinidae, fam. Pectinidae
a With partial parthenogenesis.
b Excluding species mentioned above.
Corals of western Altantic
Siderastrea radians
Porites asteroides, Favia
fragum, Manicina
areolata, Mycetophillia
ferox, Agaricia
agaricites, A. humilis
Montipora cavernosa,
Dendrogyra cylindrica
Acropora palmata, A.
cervicornis, Diploria
strigosa, Montastrea
annularis
289
within a larger part of the coral community does not happen. It is
synchronous there too, but only within the specific population, not within
the whole community (Szamant-Froelich et al. 1984; Shlesinger and Loya
1985; Szamant 1986). Moreover, Atlantic corals differ from the Pacific
species not only in their periodicity of breeding but also in the ratios of
species with different types of gametogenesis and fertilization (Table 7.11),
which could be related to their relatively recent evolutionary origin in the
"young" Atlantic Ocean (Szamant 1986).
The types of sexual breeding in corals are directly related to the strategy
of their survival. The quickly growing ramose or foliose radicals, r-strategist
corals, are most often viviparous hermaphrodites, sometimes with elements
of hermaphroditism for which self-fertilization is usual. Thus, they
reproduce mostly their genetic copies. They breed monthly, year-round.
Their viviparity ensures them better success in fertilization and decreases the
time of the larval period. Their short-living planulae soon settle near their
parents, decreasing the rate of their mortality from grazing. Being
genetically identical to the parents, they are adapted to surviving in the
biotope where they were hatched. This increases their ability to compete
with stranger planules for substrate during their recruitment. These features
of breeding, besides their ability for vegetative propagation, provides rstrategist corals good chances of survival in the physically stressed zones,
where they often dominate (Loya 1972; Szamant 1986).
Table 7.11. Types of sexual breeding in common corals of the Indo-Pacific and western
Atlantic reefs (Data by Rinkevich and Loya (1979a,c); Kojis and Quinn (1980);
Richmond and Jokiel (1984); Szamant-Froelich et al. (1984); Szamant (1986); Babcock et
al. (1986)
Type of
Sexual
Corals of Indo-Pacific
breeding
status
Viviparous Bisexual
Porites murrayensis,
Dendrophyllia, Tubastrea
Hermaph- Stylophora pistillata, Pocillopora
rodites
damicornis," P. caespitosa,
P. meandrina, Acropora
palifera, A. cuneata, A.
formosa, Galaxea aspera,
Cyphastrea ocillina
Spawning
Bisexual
Fam. Fungiidea, fam. Poritidae,
fam. Agaricidae,
(Pachyseris), fam.
Caryophilliidae.
HermaphFam. Acroporidae,b fam.
rodites
Faviidae, fam. Merulinidae,
fam. Mussidae, fam.
Oculinidae, fam. Pectinidae
a With partial parthenogenesis.
b Excluding species mentioned above.
Corals of western Altantic
Siderastrea radians
Porites asteroides, Favia
fragum, Manicina
areolata, Mycetophillia
ferox, Agaricia
agaricites, A. humilis
Montipora cavernosa,
Dendrogyra cylindrica
Acropora palmata, A.
cervicornis, Diploria
strigosa, Montastrea
annularis