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Transmission distance of chemical cues from coral habitats: implications for marine larval settlement in context of reef degradation

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Abstract

The present study (Ishigaki Island, Japan) explored the distance of transmission of chemical cues emitted by live versus dead coral reefs (Exp. 1: High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses with water sampling station at 0, 1, and 2 km away from the reef) and the potential attraction of these chemical cues by larval fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods (Exp. 2: choice flume experiment conducted on 54 Chromis viridis larvae, 52 Palaemonidae sp larvae, and 16 Sepia latimanus larvae). In the experiment 1, HPLC analyses highlighted that the live coral reef (and not the dead coral reef) produced different and distinct molecules, and some of these molecules could be transported to a distance of at least 2 km from the reef with a reduction of concentration by 14–17-fold. In the experiment 2, C. viridis, Palaemonidae sp, and S. latimanus larvae were significantly attracted by chemical cues from a live coral reef (sampling station: 0 km), but not from a dead coral reef. However, only C. viridis larvae detected the chemical cues until 1 km away from the live coral reef. Overall, our study showed that chemical cues emitted by a live coral reef were transported farthest away in the ocean (at least 2 km) compared to those from a dead coral reef and that fish larvae could detect these cues until 1 km. These results support the assumption of a larval settlement ineffective in degraded coral reefs, which will assist conservationists and reef managers concerned with maintaining biodiversity on reefs that are becoming increasingly degraded.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Y. Akita, K. Inoue, K. Kishimoto, M. Sasaki, and the Okinawa Prefectural Fisheries Research and Extension Center for assistance with the fieldwork and laboratory experiments. This study was supported by grants from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan (No. 21780178) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency/Japan International Cooperation Agency, Science and Technology Research Partnership (SATREPS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. USR 3278 CNRS-EPHE, CRIOBE, BP 1013, Papetoai, 98729, Mooréa, French Polynesia

    David Lecchini

  2. Laboratoire d’Excellence ‘CORAIL’, BP 1013 Papetoai, 98729, Mooréa, French Polynesia

    David Lecchini & Gael Lecellier

  3. Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Kochi University, 200 Monobe, Nankoku, Kochi, 783-8502, Japan

    Takahiro Miura & Yohei Nakamura

  4. University of Versailles-Saint, Quentin en Yvelines, 55 Avenue de Paris, 78035, Versailles, France

    Gael Lecellier

  5. Laboratoire de Chimie des Biomolécules et de l’Environnement (EA 4215), University of Perpignan Via Domitia, Perpignan, France

    Bernard Banaigs

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  1. David Lecchini
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  2. Takahiro Miura
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  3. Gael Lecellier
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  4. Bernard Banaigs
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  5. Yohei Nakamura
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Correspondence to David Lecchini.

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Communicated by M. A. Peck.

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Lecchini, D., Miura, T., Lecellier, G. et al. Transmission distance of chemical cues from coral habitats: implications for marine larval settlement in context of reef degradation. Mar Biol 161, 1677–1686 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-014-2451-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-014-2451-5

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