About This Project

The preservation of coral reefs relies on their ability to sexually reproduce during an annual spawning event. Spanning a period of 16 years, a site in Bocas del Toro, Panama holds the longest record of coral spawning observations in the Caribbean, yet it has not been monitored for nearly a decade. While spawning observations have traditionally occurred via snorkeling and/or SCUBA, this project aims to test the feasibility of using underwater cameras to record coral spawning events.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Once per year, broadcast spawning corals release their eggs and sperm bundles where they float to the surface, break apart, and mix with other individual’s gametes. The precise time (month, day, and hour) corals spawn is regulated by the sea surface temperature, and the sun and moon light cycles. Recent studies have found that, in some locations, corals are not spawning synchronously. Evidence indicates that this mismatch in the day and hour of spawning may be attributed to increasing temperatures driven by climate change, light pollution from increased coastal development, and exogenous sex steroids. However, there is a potential for several other aspects to disrupt spawning synchrony that have yet to be assessed, including changes in light intensity and spectrum, sound, and turbidity.

What is the significance of this project?

Coral reefs provide important ecosystem services. However, reefs are facing threats that have the potential to eliminate 60% of coral reefs by 2030. Mass coral spawning and recruitment provides the genetic diversity needed for adaptation to a changing environment. Spawning asynchrony can lead to low rates of fertilization, thus compromising the recruitment of new corals to the reefs, further exacerbating reef degradation. Determining if there are shifts in the time of spawning will inform managers of the importance of assisted fertilization for reef restoration. Similarly, quantifying the effects of light intensity and spectral shifts, turbidity, and soundscapes on spawning synchrony across reefs will further inform on the effects of anthropogenic influences on the persistence of corals.

What are the goals of the project?

This project will take place throughout the Caribbean over the next four years; however, funding from this grant will cover the cost of cameras for the upcoming spawning season in September at Bocas del Toro, Panama. This study will 1) record current spawning times in endangered coral genera and compare them to historical data. Furthermore, it will elucidate the potential factors that have or will interfere with coral spawning synchrony of corals by examining 2) temperature variations, 3) light intensity, 4) light spectrum, and 5) soundscapes before, during, and after a coral spawning event. Data will be analyzed by graduate students and project collaborators using RStudio and SonarWiz Inc.