TY - JOUR
T1 - Growth, population dynamics, and reproductive output model of the non-zooxanthellate temperate solitary coral Caryophyllia inornata (Scleractinia, Caryophylliidae)
AU - Caroselli, Erik
AU - Ricci, Francesco
AU - Brambilla, Viviana
AU - Marchini, Chiara
AU - Tortorelli, Giada
AU - Airi, Valentina
AU - Mattioli, Guido
AU - Levy, Oren
AU - Falini, Giuseppe
AU - Dubinsky, Zvy
AU - Goffredo, Stefano
N1 - Funding Information:
The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC grant agreement n° [249930-CoralWarm: Corals and global warming: the Mediterranean versus the Red Sea]. The Scientific Diving School (www.sdseducational.org) gave logistical support for fieldwork. The experiment complied with current Italian law.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography
PY - 2017/5/1
Y1 - 2017/5/1
N2 - Coral age can be strictly related to size, but processes like fragmentation, fusion, and partial colony mortality can decouple this relationship. When these phenomena are negligible, such as in solitary corals, age-based growth and population dynamics models can be used. In this study, the population size, structure, and growth rates of the temperate solitary coral Caryophyllia inornata were assessed at Elba Island (north-western Mediterranean Sea). Growth rate of this species decreased exponentially with age. The two growth curves estimated by field measurements and by growth band analysis provided homogeneous relationships between size and age. The decreasing number of individuals with age indicated a steady state population, with a turnover time of 4 yr and a maximum life span of 22 yr. Maximum biomass yield and most reproductive output was by individuals of 8–15 yr age classes. The life strategy was characterized by high fecundity, continuous embryo production, high larval output, and high larval mortality.
AB - Coral age can be strictly related to size, but processes like fragmentation, fusion, and partial colony mortality can decouple this relationship. When these phenomena are negligible, such as in solitary corals, age-based growth and population dynamics models can be used. In this study, the population size, structure, and growth rates of the temperate solitary coral Caryophyllia inornata were assessed at Elba Island (north-western Mediterranean Sea). Growth rate of this species decreased exponentially with age. The two growth curves estimated by field measurements and by growth band analysis provided homogeneous relationships between size and age. The decreasing number of individuals with age indicated a steady state population, with a turnover time of 4 yr and a maximum life span of 22 yr. Maximum biomass yield and most reproductive output was by individuals of 8–15 yr age classes. The life strategy was characterized by high fecundity, continuous embryo production, high larval output, and high larval mortality.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85011675611&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/lno.10489
DO - 10.1002/lno.10489
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85011675611
SN - 0024-3590
VL - 62
SP - 1111
EP - 1121
JO - Limnology and Oceanography
JF - Limnology and Oceanography
IS - 3
ER -