Larval thermal conditioning does not improve post-settlement thermal tolerance in the dominant reef-building coral, Montipora capitata

Climate change-induced ocean warming has reshaped reef ecosystems as coral bleaching events continue to lead mass die-offs globally. These thermal anomalies also negatively affect persistence and recovery when heat stress occur during critical reproduction recruitment periods. As a result, (settlement survival of early life stages) continues decline on reefs globally, compromising the systems following mortality events, which led loss ecological function these reefs. One mitigation strategy within active restoration framework includes propagated corals (i.e., adult fragments, larvae, or juveniles) produced in nurseries that are then directly out planted benthos. Restoration programs can greatly benefit from use sexually derived propagules, optimized, increase scalability genetic diversity outplanted stock. Thermal conditioning larval rearing potential be cost-effective scalable enhance tolerance subsequent stages. Here, we tested for stage induce positive latent effects Montipora capitata spat. We exposed larvae cool (24.5 °C), ambient (27.2 warm (28.9 °C) conditions four days this period tracked survival. Following stage, measured settlement success spat 47-day high temperature (+ 2 found did not provide benefits under elevated temperature. Furthermore, exposure temperatures outside an regime compromised survival, suggesting although were observed here spat, optimizing is important maximizing larvae.