title: Narrower grid structure of artificial reef enhances initial survival of in situ settled coral.
abstract: The initial factors that cause a decline in the survival of in situ settled corals remain poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrated through field experiments that the design of artificial grid plates may influence the initial survival of Acropora corals, with narrower grids being the most effective. In fact, grid plates with a 2.5-cm mesh presented the highest recorded survival rate (14%) at 6 months after settlement (representing approximately 50 corals per 0.25 m(2) of plate). This is the first study where such high survival rates, matching those of cultures under aquarium conditions, were obtained in the field without using additional protective measures, such as guard nets against fish grazing after seeding. Therefore, our results provide a foundation for establishing new and effective coral restoration techniques for larval seeding, in parallel to clarifying the details of the early life stages of reef-building corals.
authors.affiliation: Ishigaki Tropical Station, Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research Agency, Okinawa 907-0451, Japan. gosuzu@fra.affrc.go.jp
authors.forename: Go
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kai
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yukihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iehisa
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayashibara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000254:growth & development*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D057894:Coral Reefs; D007564:Japan; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development; D011157:Population Dynamics; D013997:Time Factors