Caribbean Damselfish Recolonize Reefs Following Coral Restoration

Merolla, Sarah; Holevoet, Allison J.; Musser, Samantha L.; Forrester, Graham E.

doi:10.3368/er.31.4.353

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Like most previous analyses, the benefit of our restoration was measured based only on the demography of the transplanted coral species (Rinkevich 2005, Precht 2006, Edwards 2010, Johnson et al 2011, Young et al 2012, Schopmeyer et al 2017. While comparing unit benefits per coral after a semi-arbitrary endpoint is a reasonable starting point (Edwards et al 2010), and can be expanded in innovative ways (Rinkevich 2015), we urgently need longer-term assessments of benefits based on how the entire ecological community responds to the restoration (e.g., Cabaitan et al 2008, Yap 2009, Merolla et al 2013, dela Cruz et al 2014. This would allow use of well-established frameworks for the valuation of ecosystem services (Kumar 2010, ten Brink 2011, and so provide a more comprehensive measure of the monetary value of restored reefs (de Groot et al 2012, de Groot et al 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing the Efficiency of Nursery and Direct Transplanting Methods for Restoring Endangered Corals

Forrester¹,

Chan

Conetta

et al. 2019

Ecological Rest.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Restoration of plants, corals, and other sessile species often involves transplanting individuals to sites chosen for rehabilitation. Transplanted individuals are sometimes harvested directly from wild populations (direct transplanting), and sometimes propagated or cultured in a "nursery" before being transplanted (nursery outplanting). The ecological effectiveness and cost-efficiency of these methods have rarely been compared, so we performed an experiment to address this. Coral fragments, Acropora cervicornis (n = 780), were collected and assigned to one of three treatments: 1) directly transplanted to a restoration site and placed loose on the reef; 2) directly transplanted and manually attached to the reef; 3) moved to a nursery site near the restoration site for three months before being transplanted and manually attached to the reef. Treatment 1 was inefficient simply because these corals survived poorly. After 15 months, the survival and growth of corals assigned to treatments 2 and 3 was similar. The nursery method (3) was more expensive and time-consuming than direct transplanting (2), so treatment 2 yielded twice as many surviving corals per hr of work invested and three times as many survivors per dollar of setup costs as treatment 3. The net production of live coral tissue per hr or per dollar invested was also greatest for direct-attached transplants. Cost-and time-efficiency are important considerations for practitioners seeking to maximize the area of reef rehabilitated and, in this case study, were maximized by bypassing a nursery stage.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing the Efficiency of Nursery and Direct Transplanting Methods for Restoring Endangered Corals

Forrester¹,

Chan

Conetta

et al. 2019

Ecological Rest.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Habitat enhancement, involving the addition of complexity to artificial structures or the addition of biotic habitat elements to shoreline protection measures, has increased the abundance of seahorses and their prey (Hellyer et al, ), established fish assemblages that still differed from natural undisturbed habitats (Peters et al, ), and provided food for fish (Ng et al, ). Transplanting coral fragments to degraded coral reefs to facilitate juvenile recruitment or adult immigration is feasible but the response times vary from months to years and do not deal with the underlying causes of coral reef loss (Yap, ; Merolla et al, ).…”

Section: Conservation and Management Of Freshwater And Marine Fishesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fish conservation in freshwater and marine realms: status, threats and management

Arthington

Dulvy

Gladstone

et al. 2016

Aquatic Conservation

402

282

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

1. Despite the disparities in size and volume of marine and freshwater realms, a strikingly similar number of species is found in eachwith 15 150 Actinopterygian fishes in fresh water and 14 740 in the marine realm. Their ecological and societal values are widely recognized yet many marine and freshwater fishes increasingly risk local, regional or global extinction.2. The prevailing threats in aquatic systems are habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, pollution, over-exploitation and climate change. Unpredictable synergies with climate change greatly complicate the impacts of other stressors that threaten many marine and freshwater fishes.3. Isolated and fragmented habitats typically present the most challenging environments for small, specialized freshwater and marine fishes, whereas overfishing is by far the greatest threat to larger marine and freshwater species. Species that migrate within or between freshwater and marine realms may face high catchability in predictable migration bottlenecks, and degradation of breeding habitat, feeding habitat or the intervening migration corridors.4. Conservation reserves are vital to protect species-rich habitats, important radiations, and threatened endemic species. Integration of processes that connect terrestrial, freshwater and marine protected areas promises more effective conservation outcomes than disconnected reserves. Diadromous species in particular require more attention in aquatic restoration and conservation planning across disparate government agencies. 5. Human activities and stressors that increasingly threaten freshwater and marine fishes must be curbed to avoid a wave of extinctions. Freshwater recovery programmes range from plans for individual species to recovery of entire basin faunas. Reducing risks to threatened marine species in coastal habitats also requires conservation actions at multiple scales. Most of the world's larger economically important fisheries are relatively well-monitored and well-managed but there are urgent needs to curb fishing mortality and minimize catch of the most endangered species in both realms.

show abstract

Interactions between coral restoration and fish assemblages: implications for reef management

Seraphim

Sloman

Alexander

et al. 2020

Journal of Fish Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Corals create complex reef structures that provide both habitat and food for many fish species. Because of numerous natural and anthropogenic threats, many coral reefs are currently being degraded, endangering the fish assemblages they support. Coral reef restoration, an active ecological management tool, may help reverse some of the current trends in reef degradation through the transplantation of stony corals. Although restoration techniques have been extensively reviewed in relation to coral survival, our understanding of the effects of adding live coral cover and complexity on fishes is in its infancy with a lack of scientifically validated research. This study reviews the limited data on reef restoration and fish assemblages, and complements this with the more extensive understanding of complex interactions between natural reefs and fishes and how this might inform restoration efforts. It also discusses which key fish species or functional groups may promote, facilitate or inhibit restoration efforts and, in turn, how restoration efforts can be optimised to enhance coral fish assemblages. By highlighting critical knowledge gaps in relation to fishes and restoration interactions, the study aims to stimulate research into the role of reef fishes in restoration projects. A greater understanding of the functional roles of reef fishes would also help inform whether restoration projects can return fish assemblages to their natural compositions or whether alternative species compositions develop, and over what timeframe. Although alleviation of local and global reef stressors remains a priority, reef restoration is an important tool; an increased understanding of the interactions between replanted corals and the fishes they support is critical for ensuring its success for people and nature.

show abstract

Caribbean Damselfish Recolonize Reefs Following Coral Restoration

Cited by 4 publications

References 30 publications

Comparing the Efficiency of Nursery and Direct Transplanting Methods for Restoring Endangered Corals

Comparing the Efficiency of Nursery and Direct Transplanting Methods for Restoring Endangered Corals

Fish conservation in freshwater and marine realms: status, threats and management

Interactions between coral restoration and fish assemblages: implications for reef management

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About