NSU Currents Fall 2014 Newsletter - Volume XXV, Issue 2

12 Researchers Observe Coral Spawning Event This August, students and researchers of Nicole Fogarty, Ph.D. , and David Gilliam, Ph.D. , spent five nights after the full moon trying to capture the spawning of staghorn ( Acropora cervicornis ) and pillar coral ( Dendrogyra cylindrus ). On the last day, they were able to observe and document a mass broadcast spawning of the staghorn coral. Monitored coral colonies were tented and the gametes were collected for research. While the dominant mode of reproduction for staghorn coral is asexual fragmentation (when new colonies form by breaking off from a current colony), sexual reproduction occurs once a year via broadcast spawning of gametes into the water column. In south Florida, this occurs in August and September. Staghorn coral is found in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and western Gulf of Mexico (non-U.S. waters). Specifically, staghorn coral is found throughout the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Venezuela. The northern limit of staghorn coral is around Boca Raton. Gametes are collected for research. Staghorn Coral ( Acropora cervicornis ) spawning M.S. student Ari Halperin tents a coral colony. Join the Oceanographic Center on Twitter and Instagram! View photos and keep up with our activities at the OC by following us on Twitter @NSUOC or on Instagram at http://instagram.com/nsuoc .