title: Applying cathodically polarised substrata to the restoration of a high value coral.
abstract: Larval settlement of the high value red coral, Corallium rubrum, was studied on three different CaCO(3) substrata, viz. lithogenic (marble), electro-accreted calcium carbonate in the presence and in the absence of cathodic polarisation. The last two substrata consisted of stainless steel plates galvanically coupled with Zn anodes. The electrochemical characterization of the settlement device was studied in order to investigate correlations between cathodic parameters (polarisation potential, current density, calcareous deposit composition) and larval settlement. The results obtained in the natural habitat (at 35 m depth) showed that settlement was five times lower on the electro-accreted aragonite in the presence of low cathodic current densities (i≤1 μA cm(-2)) compared to both marble tiles and electro-accreted aragonite in the absence of polarisation. These last two substrata showed similar settlement values. The implications of these findings on restoration strategies for C. rubrum are discussed.
authors.affiliation: IENI-CNR, via De Marini 6, 16149 Genova, Italy. alessandro.benedetti@cnr.it
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benedetti
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bramanti
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tsounis
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Faimali
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pavanello
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Josep Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gili
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Santangelo
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000737:chemistry*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D017753:Ecosystem; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004566:Electrodes; D007814:Larva / Q000502:physiology; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D012623:Seawater; D013193:Stainless Steel / Q000737:chemistry; D015032:Zinc / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D013193:Stainless Steel; D002119:Calcium Carbonate; D015032:Zinc