Saving the reefs: Identifying molecular and environmental factors underlying broadcast spawning in A.millepora

Broadcast spawning is a method of reproduction used by many species of coral, where the corals release their gametes in a perfectly timed manner over large distances to maximise fertilisation. The timing and molecular mechanism behind this extraordinary event, is not currently understood. Coral bleaching and the death of reefs are something that is now firmly anchored in the public consciousness. However, another threat is looming for coral, the asynchrony of spawning. These already marginalised animals face an even bigger threat, the possibility of not being able to reproduce, which will spell disaster not just for marine life, but also for the communities that depend on them. We need to understand why this asynchrony is happening, and I have therefore designed a research plan which examines the molecular mechanisms behind the spawning event. In particular I am interested to examine the light biology in the coral and the symbiont, as we know they use several integrated light stimuli to initiate the different steps of spawning. To this day, we do not know what photopigments the corals use, where these are located and whether the algal symbiont is a key in initiating different spawning steps. Moonlight is thought to be a signal for the release of the gametes, however, this moonlight is present every 29 days during the year, so there is therefore another gating mechanism present. I aim to find out exactly what this is by varying different parameters in a lab setting. I also believe that immense amount of information can be obtained with temporal differential expression analysis, and I aim to sample coral around the moonlight spawning event, sequence it and look for pathway changes leading up to the release of the gametes. Pioneering the understanding of asynchrony will give us a better chance at implementing conservational measures and help saving the reefs.