Coral reefs are vital ecosystems that provide a habitat to marine life while protecting our coastlines from storms and creating job opportunities for local communities. The settlement of planktonic coral larvae plays an essential role in the growth and longevity of coral reefs. Settlement occurs when coral larvae attach to a substrate and metamorphize into a juvenile coral, adding to an existing reef or beginning a new coral reef. It is known that coral larvae tend to settle and metamorphize on crustose coralline algae which produces beneficial chemical cues that promote settlement. <em>Ramicrusta textilis</em> is an encrusting alga that is highly invasive in the Caribbean. In addition to its rapid spread, there is no record of juvenile coral recruitment on <em>R. textilis</em> which has raised concerns about its suitability as a substrate for settlement. In this study, we examined the effects of <em>R. textilis</em> on <em>Porites astreoides</em> and <em>Favia fragum</em> coral larvae settlement, including mortality and substrate interaction (attachment or settlement of larvae onto a substrate). Our results indicate that there is a significant increase in larvae mortality and a decrease in substrate interaction in both species when introduced to <em>R. textilis</em>. This study suggests that <em>R. textilis</em> may limit coral settlement on Caribbean reefs.

Primary Presenter: Kayla Cayemitte, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Ursinus College (Kayla.cayemitte2157@gmail.com)

Authors:

Kayla Cayemitte, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution & Ursinus College  (Kayla.cayemitte2157@gmail.com)

Amy Apprill, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution  (aapprill@whoi.edu)

Nadege Aoki, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution  (naoki@whoi.edu)

Sophie Ferguson, Marine Biological Laboratory  (sophie.ferguson.r@gmail.com)