Protection mutualists affect colonization and establishment of host-associated species in a coral reef cryptofauna community

Published source details Counsell C.W.W. & Donahue M.J. (2021) Protection mutualists affect colonization and establishment of host-associated species in a coral reef cryptofauna community. Oikos, 130, 1823-1833.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Transplant wild-grown coral onto artificial substrate Action Link

Transplant wild-grown coral onto artificial substrate

A replicated study in 2016 at a coral reef site in Hawai’i, USA (Counsell & Donahue 2021) found that transplanting corals Pocillopora meandrina onto artificial substrate, with or without beneficial invertebrates, resulted in growth over a six-month period. During the first eight weeks, coral growth was lower in corals with two beneficial invertebrate species (Trapezia intermedia and Alpheus lottini; 0.12% change/day) than for corals with just T. intermedia or no beneficial invertebrate species (0.15% change/day), and corals with A. lottini had similar growth to all other treatments (0.14% change/day). Over a period of six months, growth rates were similar for corals with or without beneficial invertebrate species (0.05–0.08% change/day). In May 2016, forty coral colonies (all hosting T. intermedia) were collected from a forereef habitat and assigned to one of four treatments (9–11 corals/treatment): transplanting with two beneficial invertebrate species (A. lottini and T. intermedia), with one (A. lottini or T. intermedia) or with none. All corals were attached to PVC plates and secured to cement blocks and randomly situated within an experimental grid (10 rows of four corals). Coral growth was assessed using buoyant weights for the first eight weeks and using aerial photographs for the subsequent six months.

(Summarised by: William Morgan)