Cycloprodigiosin: A multispecies settlement cue for scleractinian coral larvae

Area of Science:

• Marine Biology
• Coral Reef Ecology
• Chemical Ecology

Background:

• Coral reef survival is threatened by climate change, necessitating effective reef restoration strategies.
• Assisted sexual reproduction is a key tool, but larval settlement induction remains a bottleneck.
• Developing efficient methods for coral larval settlement is critical for successful reef management and recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify a novel cue for inducing coral larval settlement across multiple species.
• To evaluate the efficacy and applicability of cycloprodigiosin (CYPRO) in coral reef restoration.
• To assess the mechanism of CYPRO uptake and its role in larval settlement.

Main Methods:

• Screening of chemical compounds for coral larval settlement induction.
• Testing cycloprodigiosin (CYPRO) on nine coral species (four brooding, five broadcast spawning).
• Quantifying settlement rates and analyzing CYPRO uptake and degradation pathways.

Main Results:

• Cycloprodigiosin (CYPRO) induced complete larval settlement in all nine tested coral species.
• Settlement rates ranged from 40% to 93%, demonstrating broad applicability.
• CYPRO showed consistent uptake and photolytic degradation across species, initiating settlement.

Conclusions:

• Cycloprodigiosin (CYPRO) is a potent, multispecies cue for coral larval settlement, offering a significant advancement for reef restoration.
• Its chemical stability and ease of application facilitate its use in large-scale reef recovery projects.
• This discovery provides a promising tool to enhance coral population rejuvenation and resilience in a changing climate.