Distinctive wound-healing characteristics in the coralsPocillopora damicornisandAcropora hyacinthusfound in two different temperature regimes.
Wound healing is a critical physiological function needed for survival in all marine organisms. However, it is particularly critical in organisms like corals, which cannot escape predators. In this study, I characterized the gross morphology of wound healing inPocillopora damicornisandAcropora hyacinthusfound in two pools with distinct previously documented temperature profiles in Ofu, American Samoa. I observed differences between healing rates ofA. hyacinthusversusP. damicornis,but no significant difference in healing rates betweenA. hyacinthuscolonies found in different environmental regimes. Both coral species exhibit very distinct healing phenotypes, whereA. hyacinthusdevelops a pink pigmentation andP. damicornisforms an algal/sand plug. The algal/sand plug appeared in corals found in the highly variable pool more quickly than in the corals from the moderately variable pool. Lastly,P. damicornisappeared to never fully heal during this two-week study, indicating that it is a slower healer despite predation pressure.
Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, 120 Oceanview Blvd, Pacific Grove, CA 93950 USA.|Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149 USA.
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Traylor-Knowles