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Light-induced morphological plasticity in the scleractinian coral Goniastrea pectinata and its functional significance

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Abstract

Environment-induced i.e., phenotypically plastic, changes in morphology, are potentially an important life-history component of sessile corals. Previous reciprocal transplant experiments have demonstrated depth-related responses in various coral species, but the potential adaptive significance is rarely investigated. To test for small-scale morphological plasticity in the massive coral Goniastrea pectinata Ehrenberg 1834, fragments from five colonies were reciprocally transplanted between two depths at Raffles Lighthouse (Pulau Satumu), Singapore. After 163 days, all fragments were collected, cleared of tissue, and examined. Reaction norms and multivariate analysis of variance describe light-induced changes in corallite architecture and genotype × environment interactions. In fragments transplanted to the shallow station, calices were deeper, and septa were shorter than in fragments transplanted to the deep station. To explore the functional significance of this plasticity, a two-dimensional model of corallite shape was constructed. The induced calice morphology of the shallow-water transplants was efficient at shading, possibly to protect tissue from excess radiation, whereas the calice morphology found in the deep-water transplants was more efficient at capturing light when irradiance was low.

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Acknowledgments

The research presented in this work was carried out as part of the SDWA’s Marine & Coastal Research Programme (Theme 2) grant number (R-264-001-001-272). YX Ow was partially supported by the MND Research Grant “Urban development in the coastal zone” to TMSI. We thank the members of Marine Biology Laboratory, NUS, and the crew of the “Mudskipper”, who supplied greatly appreciated field support. Thanks also to Lim Jing Kai for his assistance with the light capture models and Chia Wei Lun for helping measure corallite characters.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Biology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Blk S1 #02-05, Singapore, 117543, Singapore

    Y. X. Ow & P. A. Todd

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  1. Y. X. Ow
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  2. P. A. Todd
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Correspondence to P. A. Todd.

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Communicated by Environment Editor Prof. Rob van Woesik

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Ow, Y.X., Todd, P.A. Light-induced morphological plasticity in the scleractinian coral Goniastrea pectinata and its functional significance. Coral Reefs 29, 797–808 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-010-0631-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-010-0631-4

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