Incorporating herbivorous sea urchins in ramet culture of staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis

Serafy, Joseph E.; Gillette, Phillip; Miller, Margaret W.; Lirman, Diego; Capo, Thomas R.

doi:10.3354/esr00544

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The study found significant differences in growth between all treatments. Manual cleaning resulted in the highest growth rate (3.1 mm 2 d −1 ), followed by L. variegatus (1.9 mm 2 d −1 ) while control treatments lost tissue (−0.8 mm 2 d −1 ) (Serafy et al, 2013). Although our experimental design was slightly different, both studies show the utility of grazing herbivores to remove competitive algae and improve coral growth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Toh et al (2013), Villanueva et al (2013), and Craggs et al (2019) are the only other studies we are aware of to test grazing herbivores in ex situ culture of coral sexual recruits, albeit in Pacific rather than Caribbean species. However, herbivory as a tool for ex situ culture of A. cervicornis asexual fragments has also been explored (Serafy et al, 2013). These authors used three treatment conditions to examine the efficacy of juvenile variegated sea urchins Lytechinus variegatus in removing algae and improving coral growth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Algae stresses recruits and inhibits growth, making it a factor that must be addressed in culture scenarios (Toh et al, 2013). Grazing herbivores may help control algae to maintain systems and improve coral development (Serafy et al, 2013;Toh et al, 2013;Villanueva et al, 2013;Craggs et al, 2019). This interaction mirrors natural systems, where herbivores play an important role in controlling benthic algal succession by maintaining small epilithic algae in a grazed state (Lirman, 2001;Suchley and Alvarez-Filip, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Native Herbivores Improve Sexual Propagation of Threatened Staghorn Coral Acropora cervicornis

2019

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Staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis was once spatially dominant on Caribbean reefs but is now threatened throughout its range. In recent years, advancements in ex situ sexual propagation of Caribbean corals have increased the viability of this management strategy. Thus, improving culture methods for sexually propagated corals is important to bolster the overall coral restoration portfolio and increase genetic diversity in restored populations. In both natural systems and culture scenarios, algae proliferation negatively impacts coral growth and survival. Growing coral with native herbivores may represent a strategy for increased efficiency. We tested A. cervicornis recruits raised in replicate aquaria with identical densities of juvenile Lithopoma americanum or juvenile Batillaria minima snails plus a no-snail control. Each of three replicates per treatment contained tiles with similar numbers of recently settled, visually healthy, A. cervicornis. Tiles were photographed every 3 weeks for 5 months and coral growth, survivability, turf algae cover, and crustose coralline algae (CCA) cover were quantified. Labor time for cleaning was carefully recorded for each treatment. Results indicated improved growth and survival when A. cervicornis recruits were raised with either snail species in comparison to a no-herbivore control. Further, including snails decreased labor and eliminated turf algae cover. Interestingly, L. americanum significantly reduced CCA cover relative to the other treatments. We report some of the highest survival rates observed to date for sexually propagated Atlantic corals. Ultimately, results suggest that rearing sexually propagated A. cervicornis with native herbivores could improve the ability to employ these corals in reef restoration.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Native Herbivores Improve Sexual Propagation of Threatened Staghorn Coral Acropora cervicornis

2019

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“…Scleractinian corals are sensitive organisms that have narrow environmental ranges for optimal growth, including water chemistry, flow, and light (Osinga et al, 2011). Because shallow water corals generate up to 90% of their energy from photosynthesis (Sumich & Pinkard‐Meier, 2016), light is an extremely important abiotic parameter. As technology evolves in the reef aquarium field, more energy efficient and customizable lighting systems such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) are gaining favor over older technologies such as metal halide lamps.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nonetheless, research on the biology of land-based coral culture has increased in recent years (Serafy et al, 2013). Scleractinian corals are sensitive organisms that have narrow environmental ranges for optimal growth, including water chemistry, flow, and light (Osinga et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth, calcification, and photobiology of the threatened coral Acropora cervicornis in natural versus artificial light

et al. 2021

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Land‐based coral culture is of increasing interest for conservation and educational display. Shallow water corals generate most of their energy from photosynthesis, and light is a critical abiotic factor in their husbandry. We compared growth, calcification, and photobiology in the coral Acropora cervicornis between natural and artificial (light‐emitting diode; LED) light to better understand the impact of light source on coral performance. One tank of a greenhouse recirculating system at The Florida Aquarium's Center for Conservation was used to culture replicate coral colonies. Half of the tank and corals were covered to block sunlight and illuminated with a commercial reef aquarium LED fixture, while the other half was exposed to natural sunlight. Treatments were matched in terms of maximum photosynthetically active radiation and spectral measurements characterized both light regimes. Coral growth and calcification were tracked over a period of 19 weeks by repeated measurements of total linear extension (TLE) and buoyant weight. For the first 5 weeks, photosynthetic yield was measured weekly using a pulse‐amplitude‐modulated fluorometer. Calcification was significantly higher under LED lighting relative to natural light, but TLE did not differ. Photobiology data suggest that corals in both treatments were acclimated to the same light level, but photosynthetic efficiency was ultimately greater in the natural light treatment. More consistent light delivery and different spectral composition under LED treatment conditions may explain the incongruity between calcification and photosynthetic efficiency. This experiment informs husbandry of shallow‐water scleractinian corals maintained in both natural sunlight and enclosed structures.

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Successfully cultured and reared coral embryos from wild caught spawn slick in the Philippines

et al. 2020

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Incorporating herbivorous sea urchins in ramet culture of staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis

Cited by 10 publications

References 38 publications

Native Herbivores Improve Sexual Propagation of Threatened Staghorn Coral Acropora cervicornis

Native Herbivores Improve Sexual Propagation of Threatened Staghorn Coral Acropora cervicornis

Growth, calcification, and photobiology of the threatened coral Acropora cervicornis in natural versus artificial light

Successfully cultured and reared coral embryos from wild caught spawn slick in the Philippines

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