Gametogenesis and Inter-annual Variability in the Spawning Pattern ofAcropora hyacinthus in Northwestern Philippines

摘要

is a fast-growing tabularcoral that dominates the shallow water coral assemblage in the Magsaysay reef at theBolinao-Anda Reef Complex (BARC), northwestern Philippines. The timing of gametedevelopment was investigated for through dissection andhistological analyses of coral fragments that were collected monthly from February 2014 toApril 2015 from the 22 tagged colonies. The spawning time was identified by the presenceof oocytes in the sampled colonies through rapid samplingfrom January to March 2014, 2015 and 2016. Results show that is a hermaphroditic broadcast spawning coral with an annual gametogenic cycle. exhibits an extended release of gametes across 2 to3 months, from February to April. Major release of gametes occurred in March. Two types ofextended spawning patterns that are unique in this region were observed in this species( , asynchronous spawning amongst colonies and split spawning ofindividual colonies). This study contributes to the increasing knowledge on the coralreproductive strategies in northwestern Philippines and provides information onavailability of coral materials for coral reef restoration efforts and management.