Sexual reproduction in the soft coral <i>Lobophytum schoedei</i> in Bolinao‐Anda Reef Complex, Pangasinan, northwestern Philippines

Abstract

The characterization of early life-history strategies of soft corals is important in understanding population maintenance, replenishment, and recovery in disturbed coral reefs. This study examined the sexual reproduction of the soft coral <i>Lobophytum schoedei</i> in the Bolinao-Anda Reef Complex (BARC), a degraded reef in northwestern Philippines. Reproductive strategies such as sexuality, sex ratio, fecundity, and reproductive timing were examined. Random colonies of <i>L. schoedei</i> were sampled a few weeks before the predicted time of spawning to assess fecundity (n = 73 colonies), and sexuality and sex ratio (n = 221 colonies). Monthly sampling of tagged colonies of <i>L. schoedei</i> (n = 20) was done over 13 months to determine the reproductive timing through polyp dissection. Peak of annual spawning was inferred based on the presence of large gametes and their absence in the next sampling period. Results showed that <i>L. schoedei</i> is a gonochoric broadcast spawner with 1:1.1 sex ratio. Although oogenesis and spermatogenesis exhibited overlapping cycles, both gametes matured and spawned in April, coinciding with increasing sea surface temperature. Prior to spawning, oocytes and spermaries ranged 300–633 µm and 150–337 µm in diameter, respectively. Mean female fecundity was 6.7 ± 3.9 oocytes per polyp and male fecundity was 39.2 ± 22.5 (±SD) spermaries per polyp. Some of these results, including the low number of oocytes produced by female polyps, may be caused by sexual reproduction in a degraded reef environment. Understanding these reproductive traits may be useful for predicting the resiliency of populations of <i>L. schoedei</i> in response to ongoing and future environmental change.