Efforts to understand when corals reproduce have been given a boost thanks to a new resource that gives scientists open access to more than forty years’ worth of information about coral spawning.
Efforts to understand when corals reproduce have been given a boost thanks to a new resource that gives scientists open access to more than forty years’ worth of information about coral spawning.
Led by researchers at Newcastle University, UK, and James Cook University, Australia, the Coral Spawning Database (CSD) for the first time collates vital information about the timing and geographical variation of coral spawning. This was a huge international effort that includes over 90 authors from 60 institutions in 20 countries.
The data can be used by scientists and conservationists to better understand the environmental cues that influence when coral species spawn, such as temperature, daylight patterns and the lunar cycle.
By providing access to data going back as far as 1978, it can also help researchers identify any long-term trends in the timing of spawning and provide additional evidence for identifying different coral species.
Read more at Newcastle University
Image: Montastraea spawning, Philippines (Credit: James R. Guest)
