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Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open
Journal article
Effects of shading aquaculture pools on coral larvae health and production
Aquaculture, Vol.609, pp.1-11
15/10/2025
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Source: InCites
Abstract
Mass coral spawning produces vast amounts of gametes, which can be collected and cultured for reef restoration using in situ aquaculture pools, offering a cost-effective and transportable solution for upscaling larval production. However, in situ rearing presents challenges due to less predictable conditions than land-based facilities. Exogenous drivers such as ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and rainfall can directly harm developing embryos, while sunlight can increase water temperature in aquaculture pools. This study examined the effect of shading on the health and production of coral larvae during a 5-day culturing period from spawn collection through to competency using replicate ~9390 L pools with or without shade covers. Shading reduced UVR and water temperature and was associated with a 10 % higher average survival and a 1.4× increase in production rates, although these differences were not statistically significant. However, shading reduced the variability in larval survival across replicates. Trade-offs were observed, with shaded pools showing slower larval development, resulting in delayed competency and significantly lowered settlement rates. An ex situ experiment, which altered UVR while maintaining constant water temperature, showed no significant differences in larval survival or settlement rates across treatments. Together, these results suggest that shade covers can help stabilise larval survival and production by reducing environmental extremes, particularly when embryos and developing larvae are still floating, while unshaded conditions may enhance the rate of development and resulting settlement. These findings highlight the importance of evaluating responses at different developmental stages for effective reef-based larval culturing.
Details
- Title
- Effects of shading aquaculture pools on coral larvae health and production
- Creators
- Christina Langley - Southern Cross UniversityChristopher Doropoulos - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research OrganisationDexter dela Cruz - Southern Cross UniversityPeter L. Harrison - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- Aquaculture, Vol.609, pp.1-11
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V.
- Grant note
- This research was funded by a SCU PhD Scholarship to CL, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation Opticorals Project to PH, with additional support from the Moving Corals subprogram of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program to PH and CD. The Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
- Identifiers
- 991013297054702368
- Copyright
- © 2025 The Authors.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article