English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Split spawning in coral populations occurs when gamete maturation and mass spawning are split over two consecutive months. While split spawning has been observed at many reefs, little is known about the frequency and significance of these events. Here we show that split spawning occurred frequently and predictably over a decade at Scott Reef. Split spawning overlays the biannual spawning pattern in the region and occurs when the full moon falls in the first week of the usual spawning month, or the last week of the previous month. Additionally, in split years most species have their main spawning event after a 13-month lunar cycle, in the month following the usual spawning month. Without split spawning, spawn dates would shift by ~10 days each year to occur outside of optimal environmental windows. Our results suggest that split spawning is driven by a disconnect between lunar and seasonal cues, and is analogous with a ‘leap year’ in coral reproduction, realigning spawning dates with favourable conditions for reproduction.

Split spawning realigns coral reproduction with optimal environmental windows