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Sexual reproductive cycle of the epibiotic soft coral Alcyonium coralloides (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea)

2013; Inter-Research; Volume: 18; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3354/ab00493

2195-2744

Elena Quintanilla, JM Gili, Pablo J. López‐González, Georgios Tsounis, Teresa Madurell, Ida Fiorillo, Sergio Rossi,

Marine Biology and Environmental Chemistry

AB Aquatic Biology Contact the journal Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections AB 18:113-124 (2013) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00493 Sexual reproductive cycle of the epibiotic soft coral Alcyonium coralloides (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea) Elena Quintanilla1,*, Josep-Maria Gili1, Pablo J. López-González2, Georgios Tsounis1,4, Teresa Madurell1, Ida Fiorillo1, Sergio Rossi3 1Institut de Ci?ncies del Mar, ICM-CMIMA (CSIC), 08003 Barcelona, Spain 2Departamento de Zoolog?a, Facultad de Biolog?a, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Sevilla, Spain 3Institut de Ci?ncia i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Aut?noma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vall?s, Spain 4Present address: Department of Ecology, Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, 28359 Bremen, Germany *Email: elena.quintanilla8@gmail.com ABSTRACT: Alcyonium coralloides is an epibiotic soft coral overgrowing living colonies of Mediterranean gorgonians. The main features of the sexual reproductive cycle of this soft coral species are described and quantified for the first time, in a population found at 18 to 22 m depth off the Medes Islands (NW Mediterranean). A. coralloides is a gonochoric internal brooder. The sexual cycle showed a single reproductive event per year. Gametogenesis took 5 to 6 mo, which is the shortest known gametogenesis in littoral octocorals (especially for oogenesis). The maximum mean ± SD diameter was 365 ± 86 µm for spermatic cysts and 632 ± 125 µm for mature oocytes. Sperm was released in spring (late May). Average male and female fecundity in this last phase of the cycle was 15 ± 9 spermatic cysts and 7 ± 4 oocytes per polyp, respectively. Larvae of about 1000 µm in length were observed in the gastrovascular cavities of female colonies in May, before they were released in June. We suggest that the remarkable short gametogenesis and timing shown by A. coralloides is an adaptation to optimize the colonization of its host (in this case the gorgonian octocoral Paramuricea clavata). We conclude that A. coralloides larvae could be ready to settle in early summer when the host P. clavata is probably more vulnerable as a result of its own reproductive cycle coming to an end. KEY WORDS: Alcyonium coralloides . Paramuricea clavata · Epibiosis · Reproductive effort · Soft corals · Reproductive coupling · Gametogenesis Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Quintanilla E, Gili JM, L?pez-Gonz?lez PJ, Tsounis G, Madurell T, Fiorillo I, Rossi S (2013) Sexual reproductive cycle of the epibiotic soft coral Alcyonium coralloides (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea). Aquat Biol 18:113-124. https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00493 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in AB Vol. 18, No. 2. Online publication date: April 03, 2013 Print ISSN: 1864-7782; Online ISSN: 1864-7790 Copyright © 2013 Inter-Research.