Abstract
In corals where complex life history processes decoupling age from size (e.g., fragmentation, fusion, partial colony mortality) are rare or clearly detectable, individual age may be determined from size, and age-based growth and population dynamic models may be applied. One example is the solitary Mediterranean coral Leptopsammia pruvoti Lacaze-Duthiers 1897, whose population size and structure, and growth rates were determined at Calafuria (43°28′N and 10°20′E), Ligurian Sea, from December 2007 to June 2009. Growth rate decreased with increasing size. The growth curve derived from field measurements confirmed the one obtained by growth band analysis. The frequency of individuals decreased exponentially with age, indicating a steady state population. Turnover time was 2.3 years. Maximum life span was 13 years. Most reproductive output was from intermediate age classes (6 years), while older individuals (>7 years), although having higher fecundity, were rare and accounted for a minority of population reproductive output. In comparison with other solitary dendrophylliids, L. pruvoti life strategy was characterized by a reproduction with r-strategy correlates (high fecundity, short embryo incubation, small planula size, fast achievement of sexual maturity), and a rate of demographic renewal occurring halfway along the r–K continuum (intermediate turnover time and maximum longevity).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Artzy-Randrup Y, Olinky R, Stone L (2007) Size-structured demographic models of coral populations. J Theor Biol 245:482–497
Babcock RC (1991) Comparative demography of three species of scleractinian corals using age- and size-dependent classifications. Ecol Monogr 6:225–244
Baird AH, Guest JR, Willis BL (2009) Systematic and biogeographical patterns in the reproductive biology of scleractinian corals. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 40:551–571
Bastidas C, Fabricius KE, Willis BL (2004) Demographic aspects of the soft coral Sinularia flexibilis leading to local dominance on coral reefs. Hydrobiologia 530(531):433–441
Beauchamp KA (1993) Gametogenesis, brooding and planulation in laboratory populations of a temperate scleractinian coral Balanophyllia elegans maintained under contrasting photoperiod regimes. Invert Repr Dev 23:171–182
Ben-David-Zaslow R, Benayahu Y (1998) Competence and longevity in planulae of several species of soft corals. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 163:235–243
Beverton RJH, Holt SV (1957) On the dynamics of exploited fish populations. Fish Invest Minist Agric Fish Food (G B) Ser II 19:1–553
Botsford LW, White JW, Coffroth MA, Paris CB, Planes S, Shearer TL, Thorrold SR, Jones GP (2009) Connectivity and resilience of coral reef metapopulations in marine protected areas: matching empirical efforts to predictive needs. Coral Reefs 28:327–337
Brown JH, West GB, Enquist BJ (2000) Scaling in biology: patterns, processes, causes and consequences. In: Brown JH, Enquist BJ (eds) Scaling in biology. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 1–24
Buddemeier RW, Kinzie RA (1976) Coral growth. Oceanogr Mar Biol Annu Rev 14:183–225
Burch BD (2009) Comparing equal-tail probability and unbiased confidence intervals for the intraclass correlation coefficient. Commun Stat Theory Methods 37:3264–3275
Campana SE (2001) Accuracy, precision and quality control in age determination, including a review of the use and abuse of age validation methods. J Fish Biol 59:197–242
Chadwick-Furman N, Loya Y (1992) Migration, habitat use, and competition among mobile corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) in the Gulf of Eilat, Red Sea. Mar Biol 114:617–623
Chadwick-Furman NE, Goffredo S, Loya Y (2000) Growth and population dynamic model of the reef coral Fungia granulosa Kluzinger, 1879 at Eilat, northern Red Sea. J Exp Mar Bio Ecol 249:199–218
Connell JH (1973) Population ecology of reef building corals. In: Jones OA, Endean R (eds) Biology and geology of coral reefs, vol II: Biology 1. Academic Press, New York, pp 271–324
Cordes EE, Nybakken JW, VanDykhuizen G (2001) Reproduction and growth of Anthomastus ritteri (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) from Monterey Bay, California, USA. Mar Biol 138:491–501
Cronbach LJ (1951) Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika 16:297–334
Denny MW, Daniel TL, Koehl MAR (1985) Mechanical limits to size in wave-swept organisms. Ecol Monogr 55:69–102
Elahi R, Edmunds P (2007) Determinate growth and the scaling of photosynthetic energy intake in the solitary coral Fungia concinna (Verril). J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 349:183–193
Epstein N, Bak RPM, Rinkevich B (2001) Strategies for gardening denuded coral reef areas: the applicability of using different types of coral material for reef restoration. Restor Ecol 9:432–442
Fadlallah YH (1983) Population dynamics and life history of a solitary coral, Balanophyllia elegans, from Central California. Oecologia 58:200–207
Fadlallah YH, Pearse JS (1982) Sexual reproduction in solitary corals: overlapping oogenic and brooding cycles, and benthic planulas in Balanophyllia elegans. Mar Biol 71:223–231
Gerrodette T (1979) Ecological studies of two temperate solitary corals. Dissertation, University of California
Gerrodette T (1981) Dispersal of the solitary coral Balanophyllia elegans by demersal planular larvae. Ecology 62:611–619
Goffredo S, Chadwick-Furman NE (2003) Comparative demography of mushroom corals (Scleractinia, Fungiidae) at Eilat, northern Red Sea. Mar Biol 142:411–418
Goffredo S, Lasker HR (2006) Modular growth of a gorgonian coral can generate predictable patterns of colony growth. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 336:221–229
Goffredo S, Lasker HR (2008) An adaptive management approach to an octocoral fishery based on the Beverton-Holt model. Coral Reefs 27:751–761
Goffredo S, Telo T (1998) Hermaphroditism and brooding in the solitary coral Balanophyllia europaea (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Scleractinia). Ital J Zool 65:159–165
Goffredo S, Zaccanti F (2004) Laboratory observations of larval behavior and metamorphosis in the Mediterranean solitary coral Balanophyllia europaea (Scleractinia, Dendrophylliidae). Bull Mar Sci 74:449–458
Goffredo S, Telo T, Scanabissi F (2000) Ultrastructural observations of the spermatogenesis of the hermaphroditic solitary coral Balanophyllia europaea (Anthozoa, Scleractinia). Zoomorphology 119:231–240
Goffredo S, Arnone S, Zaccanti F (2002) Sexual reproduction in the Mediterranean solitary coral Balanophyllia europaea (Scleractinia, Dendrophylliidae). Mar Ecol Prog Ser 229:83–94
Goffredo S, Mattioli G, Zaccanti F (2004) Growth and population dynamics model of the Mediterranean solitary coral Balanophyllia europaea (Scleractinia, Dendrophylliidae). Coral Reefs 23:433–443
Goffredo S, Radetić J, Airi V, Zaccanti F (2005) Sexual reproduction of the solitary sunset cup coral Leptopsammia pruvoti (Scleractinia, Dendrophylliidae) in the Mediterranean. 1. Morphological aspects of gametogenesis and ontogenesis. Mar Biol 147:485–495
Goffredo S, Airi V, Radetić J, Zaccanti F (2006) Sexual reproduction of the solitary sunset cup coral Leptopsammia pruvoti (Scleractinia, Dendrophylliidae) in the Mediterranean. 2. Quantitative aspects of the annual reproductive cycle. Mar Biol 148:923–932
Goffredo S, Caroselli E, Pignotti E, Mattioli G, Zaccanti F (2007) Variation in biometry and population density of solitary corals with solar radiation and sea surface temperature in the Mediterranean Sea. Mar Biol 152:351–361
Goffredo S, Caroselli E, Mattioli G, Pignotti E, Zaccanti F (2008) Relationships between growth, population structure and sea surface temperature in the temperate solitary coral Balanophyllia europaea (Scleractinia, Dendrophylliidae). Coral Reefs 27:623–632
Goffredo S, Di Ceglie S, Zaccanti F (2009) Genetic differentiation of the temperate-subtropical stony coral Leptopsammia pruvoti in the Mediterranean Sea. Isr J Ecol Evol 55:99–115
Grigg RW (1977) Population dynamics of two gorgonian corals. Ecology 58:278–290
Grigg RW (1984) Resource management of precious corals: a review and application to shallow water reef building corals. Mar Ecol Pubbl Stn Zool Napoli 5:57–74
Grigg RW, Maragos JE (1974) Recolonization of hermatypic corals on submerged lava flows in Hawaii. Ecology 55:387–395
Guzner B, Novoplansky A, Chadwick NE (2007) Population dynamics of the reef-building coral Acropora hemprichii as an indicator of reef condition. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 333:143–150
Harper JL (1977) Population biology of plants. Academic Press, London
Harriott VJ, Banks SA (2002) Latitudinal variation in coral communities in eastern Australia: a qualitative biophysical model of factors regulating coral reefs. Coral Reefs 21:83–94
Hughes RN (1989) A functional biology of clonal animals. Chapman and Hall, New York
Hughes TP, Jackson JBC (1985) Population dynamics and life histories of foliaceous corals. Ecol Monogr 55:141–166
Johnson KG (1992) Population dynamics of a free-living coral: recruitment, growth and survivorship of Manicina areolata (Linnaeus) on the Caribbean coast of Panama. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 164:171–191
Knittweis L, Jompa J, Richter C, Wolff M (2009) Population dynamics of the mushroom coral Heliofungia actiniformis in the Spermonde Archipelago, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coral Reefs 28:793–804
Knuston DW, Buddemeier RW, Smith SV (1972) Coral chronometers: seasonal growth bands in reef corals. Science 177:270–272
Lacaze-Duthiers H (1897) Faune du Golfe du Lion. Coralliaires, Zooanthaires, Sclérodermés. Arch Zool Exp Gen 5:1–249
Levin LA (2006) Recent progress in understanding larval dispersal: new directions and digressions. Integr Comp Biol 46:282–297
Lins de Barros MM, Pires DO (2006) Colony size-frequency distributions among different populations of the scleractinian coral Siderastrea stellata in Southwestern Atlantic: implications for life history patterns. Braz J Oceanogr 54:213–223
Logan A, Anderson IH (1991) Skeletal extension growth rate assessment in corals, using CT scan imagery. Bull Mar Sci 49:847–850
Meesters EH, Hilterman M, Kardinaal E, Keetman M, deVries M, Bak RPM (2001) Colony size-frequency distributions of scleractinian coral populations: spatial and interspecific variation. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 209:43–54
Mundet L, Ribera L (2001) Characteristics of divers at a Spanish resort. Tour Manag 22:201–510
Nozawa Y, Tokeshi M, Nojima S (2008) Structure and dynamics of a high-latitude scleractinian coral community in Amakusa, southwestern Japan. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 358:151–160
Pauly D (1984) Fish population dynamics in tropical waters: a manual for use with programmable calculators. International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, Manila
Peirano A, Morri C, Bianchi CN (1999) Skeleton growth and density pattern of the temperate, zooxanthellate scleractinian Cladocora caespitosa from the Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean). Mar Ecol Prog Ser 185:195–201
Pianka ER (1970) On r- and K- selection. Am Nat 104:592–597
Richmond RH (1987) Energetics, competency, and long-distance dispersal of planula larvae of the coral Pocillopora damicornis. Mar Biol 93:527–533
Roff DA (1992) The evolution of life histories: theory and analysis. Chapman & Hall, New York
Ross MA (1984) A quantitative study of the stony coral fishery in Cebu, Philippines. Mar Ecol PSZNI 5:75–91
Sakai K (1998) Delayed maturation in the colonial coral Goniastrea aspera (Scleractinia): whole-colony mortality, colony growth and polyp egg production. Res Popul Ecol (Kyoto) 40:287–292
Santangelo G, Maggi E, Bramanti L, Bongiorni L (2004) Demography of the over-exploited Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum L. 1758). Scientia Marina 68:199–204
Santangelo G, Bramanti L, Iannelli M (2007) Population dynamics and conservation biology of the over-exploited Mediterranean red coral. J Theor Biol 244:416–423
Sebens KP (1982) The limits to indeterminate growth: an optimal size model applied to passive suspension feeders. Ecology 63:209–222
Sebens KP (1987) The ecology of indeterminate growth in animals. Ann Rev Ecol Syst 18:371–407
Sparre P, Ursin E, Venema SC (1989) Introduction to tropical fish stock assessment. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper, Rome
Stearns SC (1976) Life-history tactics: a review of the ideas. Q Rev Biol 51:3–47
Stearns SC (1989) Trade-offs in life-history evolution. Funct Ecol 3:259–268
von Bertalanffy L (1938) A quantitative theory of organic growth (inquiries on growth laws II). Hum Biol 10:181–213
Wetherall JA, Polovina JJ, Ralston S (1987) Estimating growth and mortality in steady-state fish stocks from length-frequency data. In: Pauly D, Morgan GR (eds) Length-based methods in fisheries research. ICLARM conference proceedings. International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, Manila, and Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Safat, pp 53–74
Yamashiro H, Nishihira M (1998) Experimental study of growth and asexual reproduction in Diaseris distorta (Michelin, 1843), a free-living fungiid coral. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 225:253–267
Zibrowius H (1980) Les scléractiniaires de la Méditerranée et del’Atlantique nord-oriental. Mem Inst Oceanogr (Monaco) 11:1–284
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by grants from the Italian Ministry for University, Scientific and Technological Research; the Scuba Nitrox Safety International; The Association of Italian Tour Operators, The Project AWARE Foundation, the Ministry of Tourism of the Arab Republic of Egypt (funding biodiversity monitoring projects in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean) and the Marine and Freshwater Science Group Association. Comments from Dr. Brian Helmuth and five anonymous reviewers improved manuscript quality. Elettra Pignotti (Statistical analysis, Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute of Bologna, Italy) provided valuable advice on statistical treatment of the data; the Scientific Diving School of Bologna gave logistical support for the dives. Special thanks go to the divers A. Beccari, L. Bortolazzi, M. Cova and L. Tomesani for their assistance in the field. The experiments complied with current Italian laws.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by J. P. Grassle.
Electronic supplementary material
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goffredo, S., Caroselli, E., Mattioli, G. et al. Growth and population dynamic model for the non-zooxanthellate temperate solitary coral Leptopsammia pruvoti (Scleractinia, Dendrophylliidae). Mar Biol 157, 2603–2612 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-010-1522-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-010-1522-5