Coral Gardening — Eilat

OPP-W1SXQWpermanent identifier · cite as oceanportfolio.org/p/OPP-W1SXQW

Published as: Marine silviculture: Incorporating ecosystem engineering properties into reef restoration acts | Technique: Coral Gardening | Disturbance addressed: General degradation | Genera: Stylophora, Pocillopora | Method: Transplanted 554 nursery-farmed colonies of two branching species onto five denuded knolls. The performance of the transplants was compared with 76 natural colonies and 217 colonies maintained at the coral-nursery. The corals were monitored monthly during the first 10 months, and bi-monthly for the following 7 months, altogether 17 months (533 days). Detachment, survival, partial tissue loss and fish bites recorded. Growth, commensal crab density and zoothanthellae density were also compared. | Survival of transplants reported by the source: 63.4% | Post-restoration monitoring: 17 months | Authors' conclusion: The transplants, natal colonies and nursery controls had statistically different survivorship levels that differed significantly between the two species. Mortality in the Stylophora nursery control group was minimal (98.3% survival), compared to 81.3% survivorship of the natal controls. No significant differences in survivorship were documented between the transplants and the natal Stylophora colonies for the first nine months, but the transplants showed enhanced mortality levels after. After 17 months, 52.2% of Stylophora transplants survived. In contrast, no significant difference in surviv… | Lessons reported: A total of 67 person-hours were required for the preparation, transfer and transplantation of 554 colonies. Direct costs, including coral preparation and transfer, were approximately US$1.8/nursery-farmed coral. The Pocillopora nursery-‘pampered’ transplants, did not differ in survivorship, partial mortality, fish predation from the natal colonies, which represented the most successful naturally-… | 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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