Keywords
restauración coralina; propagación clonal; Acropora palmata; modelado 3D.
How to Cite
Abstract
Introduction: Coral reefs are highly degraded ecosystems, for which it has been necessary to implement active restoration actions to recover their structure and functioning. Asexual propagation has been implemented to obtain small fragments (~10 cm) from the distal branches of donor colonies of corals of the species Acropora palmata, to subsequently relocate them in the reef substrate, simulating the dispersion effect that occurs naturally in the species, which in this work is called assisted propagation. However, it is necessary to evaluate the effects of this technique, such as the number of fragments that can be obtained from each colony, the tissue recovery period of the donor colonies and fragments.
Objective: To address the effect of pruning on donor colonies by estimating the percentage of live tissue removed from donor colonies of A. palmata and their recovery rate after 30-months.
Methods: Four surveys were carried out: before, immediately after pruning, one month after outplanting, and 30 months after pruning on four colonies of A. palmata located in the Parque Nacional Costa Occidental de Isla Mujeres, Punta Cancún and Punta Nizuc in the Mexican Caribbean. Photogrammetry-based 3D modeling was performed using Agisoft Metashape Pro software, while tissue surface area, radial and apical growth were obtained using CloudCompare software.
Results: After fragment collection, the material used in the assisted propagation represents less than 12% of the living tissue. After one month, the donor colonies showed a recovery of 5%, with new tissue covering the cut areas. The donor colonies lost on average 65 % of living tissue after four hurricanes, and in one case the colony was lost all together, but with the outplanted fragments the genotype could be preserved.
Conclusions: Assisted propagation could increase living tissue of branching corals in relatively short intervals of time, without serious damage to the donor colony if less than 12 % is removed.
References
Alvarez-Filip, L., González-Barrios, F. J., Pérez-Cervantes, E., Molina-Hernández, A., & Estrada-Saldívar, N. (2022). Stony coral tissue loss disease decimated Caribbean coral populations and reshaped reef functionality. Communications Biology, 5(440), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-022-03398-6.
Aronson, R. B., & Precht, W. F. (2001). White-band disease and the changing face of Caribbean coral reefs. Hydrobiologia, 460, 25–38. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013103928980.
Banaszak, A., Schutter, M., Guendulain García, S., Mendoza Quiroz, S., & Gómez Campo, K. (2019). Guía práctica para la restauración con base en la producción de reclutas sexuales de corales con énfasis en Acropora palmata. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Barton, J. A., Willis, B. L., & Hutson, K. S. (2017). Coral propagation: a review of techniques for ornamental trade and reef restoration. Reviews in Aquaculture, 9(3), 238–256. https://doi.org/10.1111/raq.12135.
Baums, I. B., Baker, A. C., Davies, S. W., Grottoli, A. G., Kenkel, C. D., Kitchen, S. A., Kuffner, I. B., LaJeunesse, T. C., Matz, M. V., Miller, M. W., Parkinson, J. E., & Shantz, A. A. (2019). Considerations for maximizing the adaptive potential of restored coral populations in the western Atlantic. Ecological Applications, 29(8), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.1978.
Bayraktarov, E., Banaszak, A. T., Montoya-Maya, P., Kleypas, J., Arias-González, J. E., Blanco, M., Calle-Triviño, J., Charuvi, N., Cortés-Useche, C., Galván, V., García-Salgado, M. A., Gnecco, M., Guendalin-García, S. D., Hernández-Delgado, E. A., Marín Moraga, J. A., Maya, M. F., Mendoza-Quiroz, S., Mercado-Cervantes, S., Morikawa, M., … Frías-Torres, S. (2020). Coral reef restoration efforts in Latin American countries and territories. PLoS One, 15(8), e0228477. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0228477.
Bayraktarov, E., Stewart-Sinclair, P. J., Brisbane, S., Boström-Einarsson, L., Saunders, M. I., Lovelock, C. E., Possingham, H. P., Mumby, P. J., & Wilson, K. A. (2019). Motivations, success, and cost of coral reef restoration. Restoration Ecology, 27(5), 981–991. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12977.
Bellwood, D. R., Hughes, T. P., Folke, C., & Nyström, M. (2004). Confronting the coral reef crisis. Nature, 429(6994), 827–833. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02691.
Boström-Einarsson, L., Ceccarelli, D., Babcock, R. C., Bayraktarov, E., Cook, N., Harrison, P., Hein, M., Shaver, E., Smith A. (2018). Coral restoration in a changing world -A global synthesis of methods and techniques. National Environmental Science Program, James Cook University, Australia.
Bowden-Kerby, A. (2001). Low-tech coral reef restoration methods modeled after natural fragmentation processes. Bulletin of Marine Science, 69(2), 915–931.
Bruckner, A. W., & Bruckner, R. (2001). Condition of restored Acropora palmata fragments off Mona Island, Puerto Rico, 2 years after the Fortuna Reefer ship grounding. Coral Reefs, 20(3), 235–243. https://doi.org/10.1007/s003380100164.
Ferrari, R., Lachs, L., Pygas, D. R., Humanes, A., Sommer, B., Figueira, W. F., Edwards, A. J., Bythell, J. C., & Guest, J. R. (2021). Photogrammetry as a tool to improve ecosystem restoration. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 36, 1093–1101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2021.07.004.
Ferse, S. C. A., Hein, M. Y., & Rölfer, L. (2021). A survey of current trends and suggested future directions in coral transplantation for reef restoration. PLoS ONE, 16(5), e0249966. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249966.
Forrester, G. E., Ferguson, M. A., O’Connell-Rodwell, C. E., & Jarecki, L. L. (2014). Long-term survival and colony growth of Acropora palmata fragments transplanted by volunteers for restoration. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 24(1), 81–91.
Forrester, G. E., Chan, M., Conetta, D., Dauksis, R., Nickles, K., & Siravo, A. (2019). Comparing the efficiency of nursery and direct transplanting methods for restoring endangered corals. Ecological Restoration, 37(2), 81–89. https://doi.org/10.3368/er.37.2.81.
Gardner, T. A., Gill, J. A., Grant, A., Watkinson, A R., & Côté, I. M. (2005). Hurricanes and Caribbean coral reefs: immediate impacts, recovery trajectories and contribution to long-term decline. Ecology, 86(1), 174–184. https://doi.org/10.1890/04-0141.
Gladfelter, W. B. (1982). White-band disease in Acropora palmata: implications for the structure and growth of shallow reefs. Bulletin of Marine Science, 32(2), 639–643.
Gladfelter, E. H. (2007). Skeletal development in Acropora palmata (Lamarck 1816): a scanning electron microscope (SEM) comparison demonstrating similar mechanisms of skeletal extension in axial versus encrusting growth. Coral Reefs, 26(4), 883–892.
Glynn, P. W., & Manzello, D. P. (2015). Bioerosion and coral reef growth: A dynamic balance. In Birkeland, C. (Ed.), Coral Reefs in the Anthropocene (pp. 67–97). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7249-5_4.
Gutiérrez-Heredia, L., D’Helft, C., & Reynaud, E. G. (2015). Simple methods for interactive 3D modeling, measurements, and digital databases of coral skeletons. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 13(4), 178–193. https://doi.org/10.1002/lom3.10017.
Highsmith, R. (1982). Reproduction by Fragmentation in Corals. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 7(4), 207–226. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps007207.
Hughes, T. P. (1994). Catastrophes, phase shifts, and large-scale degradation of a Caribbean coral reef. Science, 265(5178), 1547–1551. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.265.5178.1547.
Hughes, T. P., Barnes, M. L., Bellwood, D. R., Cinner, J. E., Cumming, G. S., Jackson, J. B. C., Kleypas, J., Van De Leemput, I. A., Lough, J. M., Morrison, T. H., Palumbi, S. R., Van Nes, E. H., & Scheffer, M. (2017). Coral reefs in the Anthropocene. Nature, 546(7656), 82–90. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22901.
Hughes, T. P., Kerry, J. T., Álvarez-Noriega, M., Álvarez-Romero, J. G., Anderson, K. D., Baird, A. H., Babcock, R. C., Beger, M., Bellwood, D. R., Berkelmans, R., Bridge, T. C., Butler, I. R., Byrne, M., Cantin, N. E., Comeau, S., Connolly, S. R., Cumming, G. S., Dalton, S. J., Diaz-Pulido, G., Wilson, S. K. (2017). Global warming and recurrent mass bleaching of corals. Nature, 543(7645), 373–377. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature21707.
Hughes, T. P., Kerry, J. T., Baird, A. H., Connolly, S. R., Dietzel, A., Eakin, C. M., Heron, S. F., Hoey, A. S., Hoogenboom, M. O., Liu, G., McWilliam, M. J., Pears, R. J., Pratchett, M. S., Skirving, W. J., Stella, J. S., & Torda, G. (2018). Global warming transforms coral reef assemblages. Nature, 556, 492–496. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0041-2.
IUCN. (2022). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022-1. https://www.iucnredlist.org.
Jordan-Dahlgren, E. (1992). Recolonization patterns of Acropora palmata in a marginal environment. Bulletin of Marine Science, 51(1), 104–117.
Kuffner, I. B., Stathakopoulos, A., Toth, L. T., & Bartlett, L. A. (2020). Reestablishing a stepping-stone population of the threatened elkhorn coral Acropora palmata to aid regional recovery. Endangered Species Research, 43, 461–473. https://doi.org/10.3354/ESR01083.
Kuffner, I. B., & Toth, L. T. (2016). A geological perspective on the degradation and conservation of western Atlantic coral reefs. Conservation Biology, 30(4), 706–715. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12725.
Lange, I. D., & Perry, C. T. (2020). A quick, easy and non-invasive method to quantify coral growth rates using photogrammetry and 3D model comparisons. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 11(6), 714–726. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13388.
Lavy, A., Eyal, G., Neal, B., Keren, R., Loya, Y., & Ilan, M. (2015). A quick, easy and non-intrusive method for underwater volume and surface area evaluation of benthic organisms by 3D computer modelling. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 6(5), 521–531. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12331.
Lirman, D. (2003). A simulation model of the population dynamics of the branching coral Acropora palmata: Effects of storm intensity and frequency. Ecological Modelling, 161(3), 169–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3800(02)00346-0.
Lirman, D., Thyberg, T., Herlan, J., Hill, C., Young-Lahiff, C., Schopmeyer, S. A., Huntington, B., Santos, R., & Drury, C. (2010). Propagation of the threatened staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis: Methods to minimize the impacts of fragment collection and maximize production. Coral Reefs, 29(3), 729–735. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-010-0621-6.
Lohr, K. E., Ripple, K., & Patterson, J. T. (2020). Differential disturbance effects and phenotypic plasticity among outplanted corals at patch and fore reef sites. Journal for Nature Conservation, 55, 125827.
McCarthy, J., & Benjamin, J. (2014). Multi-image photogrammetry for underwater archaeological site recording: An accessible, diver-based approach. Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 9, 95–114. https://doi. org/10.1007/s11457-014-9127-7.
Mercado-Molina, A. E., Ruiz-Diaz, C. P., & Sabat, A. M. (2014). Survival, growth, and branch production of unattached fragments of the threatened hermatypic coral Acropora cervicornis. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 457, 215–219.
Núñez-Lara, E., Arias-González, J. E., & Legendre, P. (2005). Spatial patterns of Yucatan reef fish communities: Testing models using a multi-scale survey design. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 324(2), 157–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2005.04.011.
Okubo, N., Taniguchi, H., & Motokawa, T. (2005). Successful methods for transplanting fragments of Acropora formosa and Acropora hyacinthus. Coral Reefs, 24(2), 333–342. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-005-0496-0.
Perera-Valderrama, S., Hernández-Arana, H., Ruiz-Zárate, M. A., Alcolado, P. M., Caballero-Aragón, H., González-Cano, J., Vega-Zepeda, A., & Cobián-Rojas, D. (2016). Condition assessment of coral reefs of two marine protected areas under different regimes of use in the north-western Caribbean. Ocean and Coastal Management, 127, 16–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2016.04.001.
Perry, C. T., & Alvarez-Filip, L. (2019). Changing geo-ecological functions of coral reefs in the Anthropocene. Functional Ecology, 33(6), 976-988. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13247.
Rinkevich, B. (2005). Conservation of coral reefs through active restoration measures: recent approaches and last decade progress. Environmental Science and Technology, 39(12), 4333–4342. https://doi.org/10.1021/es0482583.
Rinkevich, B. (2014). Rebuilding coral reefs: Does active reef restoration lead to sustainable reefs? Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 7, 28–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2013.11.018
Schopmeyer, S. A., Lirman, D., Bartels, E., Gilliam, D. S., Goergen, E. A., Griffin, S. P., & Walter, C. S. (2017). Regional restoration benchmarks for Acropora cervicornis. Coral Reefs, 36(4), 1047–1057.
SEMARNAT-CONANP. (2016). Programa de Manejo Parque Nacional Costa Occidental de Isla Mujeres, Punta Cancún y Punta Nizuc. Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales & Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas.
Souter, D. W., Planes, S., Wicquart, J., Logan, M., Obura, D. O., & Staub, F. (2021). Status of coral reefs of the world: 2020. Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) & International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI).
Unsworth, J. D., Hesley, D., D’Alessandro, M., & Lirman, D. (2021). Outplanting optimized: developing a more efficient coral attachment technique using Portland cement. Restoration Ecology, 29(1), e13299.
Ware, M., Garfield, E. N., Nedimyer, K., Levy, J., Kaufman, L., Precht, W., Scott Winters, R., & Miller, S. L. (2020). Survivorship and growth in staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) outplanting projects in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. PLoS ONE, 15(5), e0231817. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231817.
Young, C. N., Schopmeyer, S. A., & Lirman, D. (2012). A review of reef restoration and Coral propagation using the threatened genus Acropora in the Caribbean and Western Atlantic. Bulletin of Marine Science, 88(4), 1075–1098. https://doi.org/10.5343/bms.2011.1143.
Young, G. C., Dey, S., Rogers, A. D., & Exton, D. (2017). Cost and time-effective method for multi- scale measures of rugosity, fractal dimension, and vector dispersion from coral reef 3D models. PLoS ONE, 12(4), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201847.
Zimmer, B. (2006). Coral reef restoration: an overview. In W. F. Precht (Ed.), Coral Reef Restoration Handbook (pp. 39–59). Taylor & Francis.
Zepeda-Centeno, C., Mariño-Tapia, I., McLeod, E., Rodríguez-Martínez, R., Álvarez-Filip, L., Banaszak, A. T., Escudero-Castillo, M., Silva-Casarín, R., Mendoza-Baldwin, E., Beck, M., & Shaver, E. (2018). Guía de manejo y restauración de arrecifes para mejorar la protección costera: recomendaciones para aplicación global basadas en lecciones aprendidas en México. The Nature Conservancy, México.
Comments
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.