Soft coral reproductive phenology along a depth gradient: Can "going deeper" provide a viable refuge?

ABSTRACT: Many species across a wide range of taxa and habitats display phenological shifts and differences in response to both environmental gradients and climate change. Moreover, the wide-scale decline of numerous ecosystems is leading to increasing efforts to identify zones that might serve as natural refuges from various disturbances, including ocean warming. One such refuge was suggested to be that of the deep coral reefs, but whether depth can provide coral populations with a viable and reproductive refuge remains unclear. Given the global coral-reef degradation and the key role that corals play as ecosystem engineers, their reproductive ecology has been widely studied. A particular knowledge gap nonetheless exists regarding coral reproductive phenology along a depth gradient. Filling in this

SUBMITTER: Liberman R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9540190 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature