Plasticity in skeletal characteristics of nursery-raised staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis
Plasticity in skeletal characteristics of nursery-raised staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis
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人工饲养的鹿角珊瑚骨骼特征的可塑性
作者：
I. B. Kuffner;E. Bartels;A. Stathakopoulos;I. Enochs;G. Kolodziej;L. Toth;D. Manzello
鹿角珊瑚（Acropora cervicornis）是一种濒危物种，也是迄今为止西大西洋珊瑚礁恢复工作的主要焦点。我们比较了苗期饲养6个月的颈喙竹枝条的线性延伸、钙化率和骨骼密度，这些枝条分别在附着在基质上的木块上和悬挂在水柱中的PVC树上。我们证明，与水柱碎片相比，生长在基质上的树枝具有显着更高的骨骼密度（使用计算机断层扫描测量）和更低的线性延伸率。用浮力称重测定的钙化率在两种生长方法之间没有统计学差异，但在珊瑚基因型之间确实存在差异。骨密度和延伸率是依赖于生长方式的塑性性状，而钙化率是保守的。我们的研究结果表明，两种饲养方法产生的碳酸钙骨架数量相同，但产生的菌落具有不同的骨骼特征，这表明珊瑚钙化性能存在遗传变异。
Staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, is a threatened species and the primary focus of western Atlantic reef restoration efforts to date. We compared linear extension, calcification rate, and skeletal density of nursery-raised A. cervicornis branches reared for 6 months either on blocks attached to substratum or hanging from PVC trees in the water column. We demonstrate that branches grown on the substratum had significantly higher skeletal density, measured using computerized tomography, and lower linear extension rates compared to water-column fragments. Calcification rates determined with buoyant weighing were not statistically different between the two grow-out methods, but did vary among coral genotypes. Whereas skeletal density and extension rates were plastic traits that depended on grow-out method, calcification rate was conserved. Our results show that the two rearing methods generate the same amount of calcium carbonate skeleton but produce colonies with different skeletal characteristics and suggest that there is genetically based variability in coral calcification performance.