Reproductive ecology of Caribbean reef corals
Reproductive ecology of Caribbean reef corals
复制标题
加勒比礁珊瑚的繁殖生态学
作者：
A. Szmant
在过去的十年里，人们对石珊瑚的有性生殖过程重新产生了兴趣。早期的调查偶然地集中在育雏（planulating）物种，这导致了普遍的误解，育雏是珊瑚礁幼虫发育的主要形式。最近对印度洋-太平洋物种的研究表明，广播产卵和短暂的年度生殖期占主导地位。本报告介绍了11种加勒比珊瑚的繁殖模式，并试图解释导致迄今为止所描述的四种繁殖模式演变的适应性特征和选择压力：（a）雌雄同体的广播;（B）gonochoric广播;（c）雌雄同体的广播;（B）gonochoric育雏。（a）和（B）都与大的群体规模和短的年度产卵期相关;（c）和（d）与小的群体规模，每年多个种植周期，以及不稳定的栖息地的占领相关。长寿的个体之间的异交选择提出的原因雌雄同体的广播和同步产卵，也为大量的精子产生的雌雄同体的育雏。选择高利率的本地招聘被认为是背后的力量，栖息在不稳定的栖息地和遭受高成人死亡率的物种的育雏进化。
The last decade has seen a resurgence of interest in the processes of sexual reproduction by scleractinian reef corals. Earlier investigations had focused fortuitously on brooding (planulating) species, which resulted in the general misconception that brooding was the main form of larval development of reef corals. More recent work on Indo-Pacific species has shown broadcast spawning and short annual reproductive periods to predominate. This report presents the reproductive patterns of eleven Caribbean coral species and attempts to explain the adaptive features and selective pressures that have led to the evolution of the four reproductive patterns described to date: (a) hermaphroditic broadcasters; (b) gonochoric broadcasters; (c) hermaphroditic broadcasters; (b) gonochoric brooders. Both (a) and (b) correlate with large colony size and short annual spawning periods; and (c) and (d) correlate with small colony size, multiple planulating cycles per year, and occupation of unstable habitats. Selection for outcrossing between long-lived individuals is proposed as the reason for gonochorism and for synchronous spawning of hermaphroditic broadcasters, and also for the large amount of sperm produced by hermaphroditic brooders. Selection for high rates of local recruitment is proposed as the force behind the evolution of brooding by species inhabiting unstable habitats and suffering high rates of adult mortality.