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Gender-related differences in the apparent timing of skeletal density bands in the reef-building coral Siderastrea siderea

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Abstract

Density banding in skeletons of reef-building corals is a valuable source of proxy environmental data. However, skeletal growth strategy has a significant impact on the apparent timing of density-band formation. Some corals employ a strategy where the tissue occupies previously formed skeleton during as the new band forms, which leads to differences between the actual and apparent band timing. To investigate this effect, we collected cores from female and male colonies of Siderastrea siderea and report tissue thicknesses and density-related growth parameters over a 17-yr interval. Correlating these results with monthly sea surface temperature (SST) shows that maximum skeletal density in the female coincides with low winter SSTs, whereas in the male, it coincides with high summer SSTs. Furthermore, maximum skeletal densities in the female coincide with peak Sr/Ca values, whereas in the male, they coincide with low Sr/Ca values. Both results indicate a 6-month difference in the apparent timing of density-band formation between genders. Examination of skeletal extension rates also show that the male has thicker tissue and extends faster, whereas the female has thinner tissue and a denser skeleton—but both calcify at the same rate. The correlation between extension and calcification, combined with the fact that density banding arises from thickening of the skeleton throughout the depth reached by the tissue layer, implies that S. siderea has the same growth strategy as massive Porites, investing its calcification resources into linear extension. In addition, differences in tissue thicknesses suggest that females offset the greater energy requirements of gamete production by generating less tissue, resulting in differences in the apparent timing of density-band formation. Such gender-related offsets may be common in other corals and require that environmental reconstructions be made from sexed colonies and that, in fossil corals where sex cannot be determined, reconstructions must be duplicated in different colonies.

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Acknowledgments

The comments of Kevin Helmle notably improved the manuscript. We thank R. Smith, P. Zapata and A. Mendoza-López (UASA, ICMyL, UNAM) and N. Cantin (WHOI) for their assistance in the field; E. Escalante-Mancera and F. Ruíz-Rentería (UASA, ICMyL, UNAM) provided the SST data set; A.M. Tarrant (WHOI) helped with histological sample preparation and analysis, and M. Eagle-Gonneea (WHOI) helped with Sr/Ca measurements. L.F.V.-B. acknowledges a CONACyT scholarship from Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, UNAM and a stay with A. Cohen in the Department of Geology and Geophysics (WHOI). N.C.-T. acknowledges a postdoctoral fellowship from the European Union (FORCE project). This research was supported by grants from CONACyT to P.B. (project 104358) and European Union to J.P.C.-G. (FORCE project).

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Author notes

  1. L. F. Vásquez-Bedoya

    Present address: Grupo de Investigación en Gestión y Modelación Ambiental, GAIA–SIU, Universidad de Antioquia, Cl. 62 No. 52-59, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. Postal 1152, 77500, Cancún, Q. Roo, Mexico

    J. P. Carricart-Ganivet, L. F. Vásquez-Bedoya & P. Blanchon

  2. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Chetumal, Av. Centenario km 5.5. Apdo. Postal 424, 77000, Chetumal, Q. Roo, Mexico

    N. Cabanillas-Terán

Authors
  1. J. P. Carricart-Ganivet
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  2. L. F. Vásquez-Bedoya
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  3. N. Cabanillas-Terán
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  4. P. Blanchon
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. P. Carricart-Ganivet.

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Communicated by Geology Editor Prof. Bernhard Riegl

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Carricart-Ganivet, J.P., Vásquez-Bedoya, L.F., Cabanillas-Terán, N. et al. Gender-related differences in the apparent timing of skeletal density bands in the reef-building coral Siderastrea siderea . Coral Reefs 32, 769–777 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-013-1028-y

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