Coral Gardening - Transplantation Phase — St. Croix

OPP-HDKYFApermanent identifier · cite as oceanportfolio.org/p/OPP-HDKYFA

Published as: Can self-fertilizing coral species be used to enhance restoration of Caribbean reefs? | Technique: Coral Gardening - Transplantation Phase | Genera: Porites | Method: Testing survival/growth/ reproductive capacity of brooding corals after cutting in half (to increase output?) and outplanting at two different depths (9 & 24 metres). The corals used originated fom either 9 or 24m, and were tested ina factorial expriemnt. Also testing self-fertilisation rates in a separate genetic study. Measures growth through dye | Survival of transplants reported by the source: 94.875% | Post-restoration monitoring: 21 months | Authors' conclusion: Colonies moved from deep to shallow bleached at first, but recovered and were indistinguishable from shallow colonies after 10 months. There was no difference in survival between intact and divided colonies. Colonies that were moved from shallow to deep sites grew slower, while colonies that were moved in the opposite direction (deep to shallow) grew faster. Results for reproductive output were similar to growth, albeit less pronounced. | Lessons reported: Hermaphroditic brooders can survive handling and being split in half, and still produce reproductive output comparable to resident control colonies, and can therefore be valuable in restoration efforts. | This record was compiled from a published source and has not been confirmed by the organisation that carried out the work. No contribution to the condition index is recorded: the source reports survival of transplanted material, which is not a measure of ecosystem condition.

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