國立自然科學博物館

大規模的珊瑚集體產卵，是水下最壯觀和神秘的現象之一，通常一年只發生一次。許多珊瑚同時將精卵束，釋放到海中進行受精，這種水下「暴風雪」現象，使受精的成功率提高，因為釋放出去的配子，只能存活幾小時。科學家們藉由長期的觀察監測，大致掌握各地海域珊瑚每年同步產卵的季節，通常發生在滿月後幾天的夜晚，而且水溫會影響集體產卵的時機。

Mass coral spawning is one of the most spectacular and mysterious underwater phenomena, usually occurring only once a year. Entire colonies of coral polyps simultaneously release gamete bundles into the sea for fertilization. This underwater “blizzard” increases the chances for successful fertilization, since the released gametes can only survive for a few hours. Through long-term observation and monitoring, scientists can roughly determine the season and month of coral spawning in various places. This phenomenon usually happens at night, within a few days of a full moon. However, the timing is also affected by water temperature.

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