Estimating dispersal distance of coral larvae for conservation of corals by collaboration of differenct research field

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H04326
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Conservation of biological resources
• Research Institution: University of the Ryukyus
• Principal Investigator: SAKAI Kazuhiko 琉球大学, 熱帯生物圏研究センター, 教授 (50153838)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 藤井 智史 琉球大学, 工学部, 教授 (30359004) ; 御手洗 哲司 沖縄科学技術大学院大学, 海洋生態物理学ユニット, 准教授 (80567769)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): MUKO Soyoka (TAKEGAKI Soyoka) 長崎大学, 水産環境科学総合研究科, 客員研究員 (30546106) ; NAKAMURA Masako 東海大学, 海洋学部, 講師 (50580156)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 造礁サンゴ / 幼生分散 / メタ個体群 / 海洋レーダ / ソフトウェア無線 / リーフドリフター / 海流モデル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of the present project was to estimate dispersal distance of scleractinian reef corals in Okinawa Islands, by ecological, physical oceanographic and measurement engineering approaches.
The ecological study revealed that as matured Acropora colonies increased in areas whose spatial extent was 5 to 20 km, settlement of larvae of Acroporidae, almost all of which were considered to be Acropora, increased in each area. In contrast, abundance of the matured colonies in a given area was not correlated with the larval settlement in other areas which were more than 50 km apart. Together with measurement of seawater movement in physical oceanographic and measurement engineering studies, we suggest that dispersal distance of Acropora larvae is mostly shorter than 20 km in Okinawa Islands.

Free Research Field

サンゴ礁生態学