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Chelliah A, Amar HB, Hyde J, et al. First record of multi-species synchronous coral spawning from Malaysia. PeerJ. 2015;3:e777doi: 10.7717/peerj.777.
Chelliah, A., Amar, H. B., Hyde, J., Yewdall, K., Steinberg, P. D., & Guest, J. R. (2015). First record of multi-species synchronous coral spawning from Malaysia. PeerJ, 3e777. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.777
Chelliah, Alvin, et al. "First record of multi-species synchronous coral spawning from Malaysia." PeerJ vol. 3 (2015): e777. doi: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.777
Chelliah A, Amar HB, Hyde J, Yewdall K, Steinberg PD, Guest JR. First record of multi-species synchronous coral spawning from Malaysia. PeerJ. 2015 Feb 17;3:e777. doi: 10.7717/peerj.777. eCollection 2015. PMID: 25737817; PMCID: PMC4338799.
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PeerJ. 2015 Feb 17;3:e777. doi: 10.7717/peerj.777. eCollection 2015.

First record of multi-species synchronous coral spawning from Malaysia.

PeerJ

Alvin Chelliah, Halimi Bin Amar, Julian Hyde, Katie Yewdall, Peter D Steinberg, James R Guest

Affiliations

  1. Reef Check Malaysia , Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia.
  2. Tioman Dive Centre , Kampong Tekek, Tioman Island, Pahang , Malaysia.
  3. Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney, NSW , Australia ; Advanced Environmental Biotechnology Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore , Singapore ; Sydney Institute of Marine Science , Mosman, NSW , Australia.
  4. Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney, NSW , Australia ; Advanced Environmental Biotechnology Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore , Singapore.

PMID: 25737817 PMCID: PMC4338799 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.777

Abstract

Knowledge about the timing and synchrony of coral spawning has important implications for both the ecology and management of coral reef ecosystems. Data on the timing of spawning and extent of synchrony, however, are still lacking for many coral reefs, particularly from equatorial regions and from locations within the coral triangle. Here we present the first documentation of a multi-species coral spawning event from reefs around Pulau Tioman, Peninsular Malaysia, a popular diving and tourist destination located on the edge of the coral triangle. At least 8 coral species from 3 genera (Acropora, Montipora and Porites) participated in multi-species spawning over five nights in April 2014, between two nights before and two nights after the full moon. In addition, two Acropora species were witnessed spawning one night prior to the full moon in October 2014. While two of the Acropora species that reproduced in April (A. millepora and A. nasuta) exhibited highly synchronous spawning (100% of sampled colonies), two other common species (A. hyacinthus and A. digitifera) did not contain visible eggs in the majority of colonies sampled (i.e., <15% of colonies) in either April or October, suggesting that these species spawn at other times of the year. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first detailed documented observation of multi-species coral spawning from reefs in Malaysia. These data provide further support for the contention that this phenomenon is a feature of all speciose coral assemblages, including equatorial reefs. More research is needed, however, to determine the seasonal cycles and extent of spawning synchrony on these reefs and elsewhere in Malaysia.

Keywords: Coral reef; Multi-species spawning; Pulau Tioman

References

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