Coral Reproduction Patterns Across Western Australia

Tens of thousands of coral observations from over a dozen reefs spanning 20 degrees of latitude in Western Australia document reproductive modes and timing. The data, synthesized from public and confidential grey literature, reveals broad latitudinal gradients in spawning activity, with mass spawning in autumn occurring on most reefs. Detailed insights are limited by biased sampling that focused heavily on Acropora species over a few months at several reefs.

Use Cases

• Identifying critical spawning periods for environmental impact management based on seasonal and monthly timing data.
• Analyzing latitudinal gradients in reproductive activity, such as the decrease in spring spawning participation from the Kimberley to Ningaloo.
• Comparing reproductive modes (broadcast spawning vs. brooding) across hundreds of coral species.
• Assessing sampling biases in coral research to guide future study design.

Strengths

• Synthesizes observations from tens of thousands of corals and hundreds of species.
• Covers a wide geographic range spanning over a dozen reefs and 20 degrees of latitude.
• Combines data from both public sources and previously confidential grey literature.

Limitations

• Sampling is biased, with most studies focusing on Acropora species over limited months.
• Specific column names, row counts, and file size are not provided in the metadata.
• The license is listed only as 'other', which may restrict clear usage terms.

Provenance

Source

Parks Australia, synthesizing public and confidential grey literature reports.

Collection Method

Compilation and analysis of existing studies on coral reproduction.

Time Range

Temporal coverage is not explicitly stated, but studies likely span multiple years given the synthesis nature.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-16

Geography

Reefs in Western Australia, from the Kimberley Oceanic reefs to Ningaloo and the temperate south-west.