Embryogenesis and Larval Biology of the Cold-WaterCoral Lophelia pertusa
Larsson, Ann I.; Järnegren, Johanna; Strömberg, Susanna M.; Dahl, Mikael P.; Lundälv, Tomas; Brooke, Sandra
Peer reviewed, Journal article
Åpne
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https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3057577Utgivelsesdato
2014Metadata
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Sammendrag
Cold-water coral reefs form spectacular and highly diverse ecosystems in the deep sea but little is known about
reproduction, and virtually nothing about the larval biology in these corals. This study is based on data from two locations
of the North East Atlantic and documents the first observations of embryogenesis and larval development in Lophelia
pertusa, the most common framework-building cold-water scleractinian. Embryos developed in a more or less organized
radial cleavage pattern from ,160 mm large neutral or negatively buoyant eggs, to 120–270 mm long ciliated planulae.
Embryogenesis was slow with cleavage occurring at intervals of 6–8 hours up to the 64-cell stage. Genetically characterized
larvae were sexually derived, with maternal and paternal alleles present. Larvae were active swimmers (0.5 mm s21) initially
residing in the upper part of the water column, with bottom probing behavior starting 3–5 weeks after fertilization.
Nematocysts had developed by day 30, coinciding with peak bottom-probing behavior, and possibly an indication that
larvae are fully competent to settle at this time. Planulae survived for eight weeks under laboratory conditions, and
preliminary results indicate that these planulae are planktotrophic. The late onset of competency and larval longevity
suggests a high dispersal potential. Understanding larval biology and behavior is of paramount importance for biophysical
modeling of larval dispersal, which forms the basis for predictions of connectivity among populations.