Directing coral larval settlement in coral aquaculture for reef restoration.

ABSTRACT: Optimising coral early life stages, particularly larval settlement, remains a challenge for coral aquaculture. Settlement typically relies on biologically conditioned substrates, such as crustose coralline algae (CCA) or microbial films, which are difficult to scale for mass-production. To overcome this bottleneck, we evaluated chemical and physical alternatives that enable spatial control of directing larval settlement. Larval responses from 14 coral species were tested against known and potential chemical inducers, including neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. Next, we investigated the efficacy of a set of known chemical inducers and microtopography to direct larval settlement. The neuropeptide Hym-248 was the most effective, inducing settlement in seven acroporid species. Embedding sol

SUBMITTER: Briggs ND 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12923894 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature