Quick Look Report: Coral spawning (DSTO, PSTR, PCLI) – September 2020

Though coral spawning represents the once-a-year opportunity for corals to increase their population and genetic diversity, even basic parameters of the event are poorly known for many species. In September 2020, divers conducted spawning observations at Newfound Harbor, a nearshore site in the Lower Florida Keys containing a high density of Dichocoenia stokesii, Pseudodiploria clivosa, and Pseudodiploria strigosa colonies. Goals were to identify set time, spawn time, gamete buoyancy, and bundle breakup time for these species and also to conduct at-sea assisted fertilization and provide gametes to coral larval/settlement aquaria for growout. Unfortunately, no spawning was recorded during the nights of observation. We nevertheless compiled existing data on these species to provide predicted spawning windows, and built capacity for future spawning efforts.