Reef-scale trends in Florida Acropora spp. abundance and the effects of population enhancement

PeerJ

article

Margaret W. Miller¹  Katryna Kerr²  Dana E. Williams¹ 

[1] Southeast Fisheries Science Center, NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service;Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences/Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami

关键词: Coral nursery;    Bleaching;    Spatial analysis;    Outplanting;    Coral restoration;    Florida Keys;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.2523

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Since the listing of Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis under the US Endangered Species Act in 2006, increasing investments have been made in propagation of listed corals (primarily A. cervicornis, A. palmata50 ha), low precision Acropora spp. censuses (i.e., direct observation by snorkelers documented via handheld GPS) originally conducted in appropriate reef habitats during 2005–2007 to evaluate the trajectory of local populations and the effect of population enhancement. Over the decade-long study, A. palmata showed a cumulative proportional decline of 0.4 –0.7x in colony density across all sites, despite very low levels of outplanting at some sites. A. cervicornis showed similar proportional declines at sites without outplanting. In contrast, sites that received A. cervicornis outplants showed a dramatic increase in density (over 13x). Indeed, change in A. cervicornis colony density was significantly positively correlated with cumulative numbers of outplants across sites. This study documents a substantive reef-scale benefit of Acropora spp. population enhancement in the Florida Keys, when performed at adequate levels, against a backdrop of ongoing population decline.

【 授权许可】

CC BY