ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au
Our knowledge of the various modes of sexual reproduction in stony corals has increased greatly during the last two decades, but is far from encompassing the wide variety of reproductive strategies exhibited by this group. Here, for the first time in stony corals, I report on sex change exhibited by two mushroom corals, Fungia repanda and Ctenactis echinata in Okinawa, Japan.
Sex change in animals has been reported as occurring from M-F (male to female i.e., protandry) and vice versa i.e., F-M (protogyny), but in a few cases also as bidirectional. While F. repanda exhibited protandry only, C. echinata revealed a repetitive mode of sex change, which greatly resembles that of dioecious plants that display labile sexuality in response to energetic and/or environmental constraints. I posit that, similar to these plants, in the studied corals sex change increases their overall fitness, reinforcing the important role of reproductive plasticity in scleractinian corals in determining their evolutionary success.
A flotilla of Vietnamese fishing boats with crews suffering in harsh conditions is stripping Pacific coral reefs of seafood as the poaching escalates to become an international human rights and securi
In a study published today, scientists report that the long-term success of clownfish depends more on living in a good neighbourhood than it does on good genes. The natural home of the clownfish is
A new study highlights how healthy mangroves can help some coral reef fish navigate the impacts of climate change. Co-author Professor Peter Mumby, from the ARC Centre of Excellence at the Universi
Scientists say a failure of national management means excessive amounts of harmful chemicals—many now banned in other countries such as the EU, USA and Canada—are damaging the nation’s waterways
Abstract: I will talk about what we have learned from studying symbioses in algae and corals. Origin of the photosynthetic organelle in algae led to the major rewiring of host metabolic pathw
Abstract: Because coastal fisheries have been a major provider of food and economic growth in modern human history, the inherent characteristics of fish populations have been studied by researchers f
Abstract Climate change is the fastest-growing global threat to the world's natural and cultural heritage. No systematic approach to assess climate vulnerability of protected areas and their communit
Abstract: This presentation will provide an updated prognosis of the overgrazing collapse of kelp beds driven by the range-extending sea urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii) and outline antidotes cur
Abstract: Disturbances are fundamental to structuring many ecosystems, yet climate-driven alterations to disturbance regimes may prevent recovery in many biomes. Coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef
Abstract: Outbreaks of the corallivorous Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS; Acanthaster cf. solaris) have been responsible for 40% of the decline in coral cover on the GBR over the last 35 years. With
Abstract: Complex interdependencies between social and ecological dynamics underpin many important environmental problems. To account for these complex dynamics, over the past several years my collea
Abstract: Coral reef restoration is gaining momentum globally in response to the threat of climate change and associated coral bleaching. In Australia, as part of the Reef Restoration and Adaptatio
Partner Research Institutions
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au
