TY - JOUR
T1 - Coral reef restoration in the Eastern Tropical Pacific
T2 - feasibility of the coral nursery approach
AU - Ishida-Castañeda, Jun
AU - Pizarro, Valeria
AU - López-Victoria, Mateo
AU - Zapata, Fernando A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Society for Ecological Restoration
PY - 2020/1/1
Y1 - 2020/1/1
N2 - Due to the worldwide degradation of coral reefs, the active restoration of these ecosystems has received considerable attention in recent decades. This study investigated (1) the feasibility of using coral nurseries for restoration projects, (2) the minimum size required for a Pocillopora damicornis (Pocilloporidae) coral fragment to survive and grow in a nursery, and (3) the optimal transplant size of a fragment when transplanted to a degraded reef at Gorgona Island (Colombian Pacific). For this investigation, 230 fragments were transplanted directly to El Remanso reef, and another 150 fragments were maintained in in situ nurseries. Every 2 months, the length, weight, and survival of the fragments were recorded. After growing for 134 days in the nurseries, the 52 surviving fragments were transplanted to El Remanso reef, and after 5 months, the same variables were measured. Among the nursery-reared fragments, the largest (4 to <8 cm) had the highest survival and growth rates, whereas among the directly transplanted fragments, the smallest fragments (<2 cm) had the highest survival and growth rates. However, the nursery-reared fragments acquired greater structural complexity (arborescent morphology), and they were all alive 156 days after transplantation and presented a maximum linear growth rate of over 2 cm, which was higher than that of the directly transplanted fragments. Apparently, the arborescent morphology acquired during the nursery period provides advantages to the colonies that favor greater success when transplanted. Therefore, nursery-reared fragments of P. damicornis between 2 and 4 cm are the most appropriate for use in restoration projects.
AB - Due to the worldwide degradation of coral reefs, the active restoration of these ecosystems has received considerable attention in recent decades. This study investigated (1) the feasibility of using coral nurseries for restoration projects, (2) the minimum size required for a Pocillopora damicornis (Pocilloporidae) coral fragment to survive and grow in a nursery, and (3) the optimal transplant size of a fragment when transplanted to a degraded reef at Gorgona Island (Colombian Pacific). For this investigation, 230 fragments were transplanted directly to El Remanso reef, and another 150 fragments were maintained in in situ nurseries. Every 2 months, the length, weight, and survival of the fragments were recorded. After growing for 134 days in the nurseries, the 52 surviving fragments were transplanted to El Remanso reef, and after 5 months, the same variables were measured. Among the nursery-reared fragments, the largest (4 to <8 cm) had the highest survival and growth rates, whereas among the directly transplanted fragments, the smallest fragments (<2 cm) had the highest survival and growth rates. However, the nursery-reared fragments acquired greater structural complexity (arborescent morphology), and they were all alive 156 days after transplantation and presented a maximum linear growth rate of over 2 cm, which was higher than that of the directly transplanted fragments. Apparently, the arborescent morphology acquired during the nursery period provides advantages to the colonies that favor greater success when transplanted. Therefore, nursery-reared fragments of P. damicornis between 2 and 4 cm are the most appropriate for use in restoration projects.
KW - corallivory
KW - fragment
KW - growth
KW - morphology
KW - survival
KW - transplant
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074848192&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/rec.13047
DO - 10.1111/rec.13047
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85074848192
SN - 1061-2971
VL - 28
SP - 22
EP - 28
JO - Restoration Ecology
JF - Restoration Ecology
IS - 1
ER -