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Reproductive ecology of three reef-forming, deep-sea corals in the New Zealand region

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Cold-Water Corals and Ecosystems

Part of the book series: Erlangen Earth Conference Series ((ERLANGEN))

Abstract

Reproductive ecology was examined in three deep-sea, reef-forming corals, Goniocorella dumosa, Solenosmilia variabilis and Enallopsammia rostrata from the ‘ Graveyard’ seamount complex on the Chatham Rise, New Zealand. Samples were collected from 890–1130 m depth in April 2001 using an epibenthic sled from the research vessel Tangaroa. S. variabilis was found to be gonochoric and this sexual trait was also suggested for E. rostrata and G. dumosa, although only colonies of one sex were collected. The likely mode of reproduction is broadcast spawning and fertilisation is likely to occur in late April or May coinciding with pelagic biomass accumulations at the end of summer. Reproductive development displayed a high level of synchrony among species and between seamount localities. E. rostrata was observed to contain both stage III and stage IV oocytes, indicating overlapping cohorts of oocyte growth, possibly related to food resources available. High fecundities were estimated for E. rostrata (>144 oocytes polyp−1), G. dumosa (>480 oocytes polyp−1) and S. variabilis (>290 oocytes polyp−1), with a negative correlation between oocyte size and number observed for all three species.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia

    Samantha N. Burgess

  2. South Australian Research and Development Institute: Aquatic Science, P.O. Box 120, Henley Beach, SA, 5022, Australia

    Samantha N. Burgess

  3. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Marine Research Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA, 6913, Australia

    Russ C. Babcock

Authors
  1. Samantha N. Burgess
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  2. Russ C. Babcock
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Paleontology, Erlangen University, Loewenichstr. 28, D-91054, Erlangen, Germany

    André Freiwald

  2. Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, Argyll, PA37 1QA, UK

    J. Murray Roberts

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© 2005 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Burgess, S.N., Babcock, R.C. (2005). Reproductive ecology of three reef-forming, deep-sea corals in the New Zealand region. In: Freiwald, A., Roberts, J.M. (eds) Cold-Water Corals and Ecosystems. Erlangen Earth Conference Series. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-27673-4_36

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