WAMSI 2 - Dredging Node - Project 4.8 - Mucous sheet production in Porites spp. and links to sediment, Western Australia

Data is in the form of a report, which is a a secured (printable, non-editable), searchable, Portable Document Format (PDF) showing the results of the analysesColonies of massive Porites spp. corals (Porites lutea and P. lobata) occasionally produce mucous sheets that may envelop the entire colony, and which trap settling particulate material such as sediment. The sheets eventually peel off the surface, leaving relatively clean and sediment-free tissue underneath. The function and biological role of these mucous sheets have been previously explored, yet studies involving exposure to altered environmental conditions (temperature, salinity and especially sediment) have produced equivocal results. In this study, multiple lines of convincing evidence are presented from both field observations during a large-scale dredging project, and from controlled laboratory-based studies, to suggest a close association between mucous sheet production and sediments.