Mass spawning in tropical reef corals.

Abstract

Synchronous multispecific spawning by a total of 32 coral species occurred a few nights after late spring full moons in 1981 and 1982 at 3 locations on the Great Barrier Reef. Data invalidate the generalization that most corals have internally fertilized, brooded planula larvae. The developmental rates of externally fertilized eggs and longevities of planulae indicate that planulae may be dispersed between reefs.-from Authors