A synchronized reproductive event in which many coral species on a reef release their eggs and sperm into the water within the same narrow window, often just once a year, typically triggered by the combination of water temperature, the lunar cycle and the timing of sunset. The Great Barrier Reef's mass spawning, usually a few nights after the November or December full moon, turns the water above the reef cloudy with billions of released gametes in a single, brief, reef-wide event.
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Demonstrated By
The mass coral spawning event at Ningaloo Reef each year is timed with the arrival of whale sharks that feed on the resulting plankton bloom.
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