Substrate Addition - Artificial reef — Dampier

OPP-5K1J77permanent identifier · cite as oceanportfolio.org/p/OPP-5K1J77

Published as: Coral colonisation of an artificial reef in a turbid nearshore environment, Dampier Harbour, Western Australia | Technique: Substrate Addition - Artificial reef | Disturbance addressed: Land reclamation | Genera: mixed | Method: A 0.6 hectare artificial reef of local rock and recycled concrete sleepers was constructed in December 2006 at Parker Point in the industrial port of Dampier, western Australia, with the aim of providing an environmental offset for a nearshore coral community lost to land reclamation. Coral communities were compared to a nearby control reef. Coral settlement to the artificial reef was examined by terracotta tile deployments, and later stages of coral community development were examined by in-si… | Post-restoration monitoring: 60 months | Authors' conclusion: Corals successfully colonised the artificial reef, despite the relatively harsh environmental conditions at the site. Mean coral density on the tiles varied from 113 ± 17 SE to 909 ± 85 SE per m2 over five deployments, whereas mean coral density in the quadrats was only 6.0 ± 1.0 SE per m2 at eight months post construction, increasing to 24.0 ± 2.1 SE per m2 at 62 months post construction. Coral taxa colonising the artificial reef were a subset of those on the surrounding natural reef, but occurred in different proportion —Pseudosiderastrea tayami, Mycedium elephantotus and Leptastrea purpure… | Lessons reported: This study indicates that simple materials of opportunity can provide a suitable substrate for coral recruitment in Dampier Harbour, and that natural colonisation at the study site remains sufficient to initiate a coral community on artificial substrate despite ongoing natural and anthropogenic perturbations. | 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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