首页|Seeded Acropora digitifera corals survive best on wave-exposed reefs with grazing from small fishes

Seeded Acropora digitifera corals survive best on wave-exposed reefs with grazing from small fishes

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Coral seeding is a restoration technique developed to replenish degraded reefs; however, grazing by herbivorous fish can impede coral survival post deployment. To investigate the impacts of hydrodynamics and fish grazing on seeded-coral survival, we deployed aquaria-reared Acropora digitifera spat on engineered-seeding devices across 10 sites spanning a wave-energy gradient at Moore Reef (Great Barrier Reef, Australia). Two devices were used to investigate the role of grazing: a fish-exclusion device and a featureless control. After 1 year, over 60% of devices had live corals. High-energy sites had 83–91% yield (i.e., device-level survival) and three times more survivors than low-energy sites. Exclusion devices significantly improved survival at moderate-to-low flow sites where excavating parrotfish were abundant. Survival was also influenced by the biological characteristics of the site, with more survivors at sites with Labrids (Thalassoma, Gomphosus), Acanthurids (Acanthurus, Zebrasoma), Blennids (Cirripectes), encrusting non-Acropora Scleractinian corals, coralline algae, and ascidians. Our study demonstrates that wave energy, fish activity, and benthic constituents all impact coral survival after seeding. Assessing potential sites for positive drivers of survival prior to deployment could improve the efficacy of coral seeding.

coral ecologycoral recruitmentcoral restorationfish ecologyreef hydrodynamicswave energy

Taylor N. Whitman、Saskia Jurriaans、Carine Lefevre、Carrie A. Sims、Ben Radford、Marji Puotinen、Mia O. Hoogenboom、Andrew P. Negri、Carly J. Randall

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College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Queensland, Australia||Australian Institute of Marine Science, Cape Cleveland 4810, Queensland, Australia

Australian Institute of Marine Science, Cape Cleveland 4810, Queensland, Australia

Naos Marine Laboratories, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancon, Panama

School of Agriculture, Geography and the Environment, University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Western Australia, Australia||Australian Institute of Marine Science, Crawley 4810, Western Australia, Australia

Australian Institute of Marine Science, Crawley 4810, Western Australia, Australia

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2025

10.1111/rec.70016

Restoration ecology

Restoration ecology

ISSN：1061-2971
年,卷(期)：2025.33(4)
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