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Different calcification rates in males and females of the coral Porites panamensis in the Gulf of California

2013; Inter-Research; Volume: 476; Linguagem: Inglês

10.3354/meps10269

1616-1599

RA Cabral-Tena, Héctor Reyes‐Bonilla, Salvador E. Lluch‐Cota, David A. Paz‐García, Luis E. Calderón‐Aguilera, Orión Norzagaray-López, Eduardo F. Balart,

Cephalopods and Marine Biology

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 476:1-8 (2013) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10269 FEATURE ARTICLE Different calcification rates in males and females of the coral Porites panamensis in the Gulf of California R. A. Cabral-Tena1, H. Reyes-Bonilla2, S. Lluch-Cota1, D. A. Paz-García1, L. E. Calderón-Aguilera3, O. Norzagaray-López3, E. F. Balart1,* 1Laboratorio de Necton y Ecología de Arrecifes, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR), La Paz, Baja California Sur, 23090, México 2Departamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur (UABCS), La Paz, Baja California Sur, 23080, México 3Laboratorio de Ecología Pesquera y Costera, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada, Baja California, 22860, México *Corresponding author. Email: ebalart04@cibnor.mx ABSTRACT: Density banding provides a record of performance of coral colonies over time and across environments, and offers 3 measurable variables: skeletal density, extension rate, and calcification rate. Skeleton formation is energetically expensive for corals and may be associated with other energy-dependent processes, such as reproduction. Egg production requires more energy expenditure than sperm production. Thus, calcification rate is hypothesized to be different for each gender. To evaluate differences in skeletal growth between males and females, we studied a gonochoric massive coral, Porites panamensis, from 3 regions of the Gulf of California. Colony sex was identified using histology methods, and growth parameters were measured using photo-densitometry of X-radiographs. Extension and calcification rates were significantly higher in male colonies than in females (by 18 to 23%) at 2 of our 3 study sites, while skeletal density was similar in both genders. Our results support the hypothesis of a gender bias in growth characteristics and suggest that environmental conditions may impact coral calcification differently in male and female colonies. KEY WORDS: Coral growth parameters . Gender bias . High-latitude coral communities . Eastern Pacific Full text in pdf format Information about this Feature Article NextCite this article as: Cabral-Tena RA, Reyes-Bonilla H, Lluch-Cota S, Paz-García DA, Calderón-Aguilera LE, Norzagaray-López O, Balart EF (2013) Different calcification rates in males and females of the coral Porites panamensis in the Gulf of California. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 476:1-8. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10269 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 476. Online publication date: February 27, 2013 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2013 Inter-Research.