title: Environmental conditions influence tissue regeneration rates in scleractinian corals.
abstract: Natural and anthropogenic factors may influence corals' ability to recover from partial mortality. To examine how environmental conditions affect lesion healing, we assessed several water quality parameters and tissue regeneration rates in corals at six reefs around St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. We hypothesized that sites closer to developed areas would have poor water quality due to proximity to anthropogenic stresses, which would impede tissue regeneration. We found that water flow and turbidity most strongly influenced lesion recovery rates. The most impacted site, with high turbidity and low flow, recovered almost three times slower than the least impacted site, with low turbidity, high flow, and low levels of anthropogenic disturbance. Our results illustrate that in addition to lesion-specific factors known to affect tissue regeneration, environmental conditions can also control corals' healing rates. Resource managers can use this information to protect low-flow, turbid nearshore reefs by minimizing sources of anthropogenic stress.
authors.affiliation: Master of Marine and Environmental Science Program, University of the Virgin Islands, 2 John Brewers Bay, St. Thomas, USVI 00802, USA. Electronic address: alexiss88@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alexis M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sabine
authors.affiliation: Center for Marine and Environmental Studies, University of the Virgin Islands, 2 John Brewers Bay, St. Thomas, USVI 00802, USA.
authors.forename: Tyler B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, USA.
authors.forename: Dana E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Center for Marine and Environmental Studies, University of the Virgin Islands, 2 John Brewers Bay, St. Thomas, USVI 00802, USA.
authors.forename: Marilyn E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Brandt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000502:physiology*; D004777:Environment; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D010100:Oxygen / Q000032:analysis; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D014767:United States Virgin Islands; D060753:Water Quality
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: Coral lesions; Orbicella annularis; Tissue regeneration; Turbidity; U.S. Virgin Islands; Water flow