Coral larvae for restoration and research: a large-scale method for rearing Acropora millepora larvae, inducing settlement, and establishing symbiosis

• DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3732
• Publication Date: 2017-09-06T13:11:56Z
• Authors: F. Joseph Pollock; Sefano M. Katz; Jeroen A.J.M. van...; Sarah W. Davies; Margaux Hein; Gergely Torda; Mikhail V. Matz; Victor H. Beltran; Patrick Buerger; Eneour Puill-Stephan; David Abrego; David G. Bourne; Bette L. Willis
• Keywords: Coralline algae; Crustose; Propagule; Symbiodinium; Acropora

Here we describe an efficient and effective technique for rearing sexually-derived coral propagules from spawning through larval settlement symbiont uptake with minimal impact on natural populations. We sought to maximize survival while minimizing expense daily husbandry maintenance by experimentally determining optimized conditions protocols gamete fertilization, cultivation, induction of crustose coralline algae, inoculation newly settled juveniles their dinoflagellate Symbiodinium. Larval densities at or below 0.2 larvae mL-1 were found success in culture tanks effort. Induction via the addition a ground mixture diverse algae (CCA) is recommended, given challenging nature situ CCA identification our finding that non settlement-inducing assemblages do not inhibit if suitable are present. Although order magnitude differences infectivity between common Great Barrier Reef Symbiodinium clades C D, no significant observed laboratory-cultured wild-harvested symbionts each case. The presented here Acropora millepora can be adapted research restoration efforts wide range broadcast species.