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Augmenting the Post-Transplantation Growth and Survivorship of Juvenile Scleractinian Corals via Nutritional Enhancement

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  • Tai Chong Toh
  • Chin Soon Lionel Ng
  • Jia Wei Kassler Peh
  • Kok Ben Toh
  • Loke Ming Chou

Abstract

Size-dependant mortality influences the recolonization success of juvenile corals transplanted for reef restoration and assisting juvenile corals attain a refuge size would thus improve post-transplantation survivorship. To explore colony size augmentation strategies, recruits of the scleractinian coral Pocillopora damicornis were fed with live Artemia salina nauplii twice a week for 24 weeks in an ex situ coral nursery. Fed recruits grew significantly faster than unfed ones, with corals in the 3600, 1800, 600 and 0 (control) nauplii/L groups exhibiting volumetric growth rates of 10.65±1.46, 4.69±0.9, 3.64±0.55 and 1.18±0.37 mm3/week, respectively. Corals supplied with the highest density of nauplii increased their ecological volume by more than 74 times their initial size, achieving a mean final volume of 248.38±33.44 mm3. The benefits of feeding were apparent even after transplantation to the reef. The corals in the 3600, 1800, 600 and 0 nauplii/L groups grew to final sizes of 4875±260 mm3, 2036±627 mm3, 1066±70 mm3 and 512±116 mm3, respectively. The fed corals had significantly higher survival rates than the unfed ones after transplantation (63%, 59%, 56% and 38% for the 3600, 1800, 600 and 0 nauplii/L treatments respectively). Additionally, cost-effectiveness analysis revealed that the costs per unit volumetric growth were drastically reduced with increasing feed densities. Corals fed with the highest density of nauplii were the most cost-effective (US$0.02/mm3), and were more than 12 times cheaper than the controls. This study demonstrated that nutrition enhancement can augment coral growth and post-transplantation survival, and is a biologically and economically viable option that can be used to supplement existing coral mariculture procedures and enhance reef restoration outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Tai Chong Toh & Chin Soon Lionel Ng & Jia Wei Kassler Peh & Kok Ben Toh & Loke Ming Chou, 2014. "Augmenting the Post-Transplantation Growth and Survivorship of Juvenile Scleractinian Corals via Nutritional Enhancement," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(6), pages 1-9, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0098529
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0098529
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tom C. L. Bridge & Terry P. Hughes & John M. Guinotte & Pim Bongaerts, 2013. "Call to protect all coral reefs," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 3(6), pages 528-530, June.
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