Abstract
A 0.6 hectare artificial reef of local rock and recycled concrete sleepers was constructed in December 2006 at Parker Point in the industrial port of Dampier, western Australia, with the aim of providing an environmental offset for a nearshore coral community lost to land reclamation. Corals successfully colonised the artificial reef, despite the relatively harsh environmental conditions at the site (annual water temperature range 18-32°C, intermittent high turbidity, frequent cyclones, frequent nearby ship movements). Coral settlement to the artificial reef was examined by terracotta tile deployments, and later stages of coral community development were examined by in-situ visual surveys within fixed 25 x 25 cm quadrats on the rock and concrete substrates. Mean coral density on the tiles varied from 113 ± 17 SE to 909 ± 85 SE per m2 over five deployments, whereas mean coral density in the quadrats was only 6.0 ± 1.0 SE per m2 at eight months post construction, increasing to 24.0 ± 2.1 SE per m2 at 62 months post construction. Coral taxa colonising the artificial reef were a subset of those on the surrounding natural reef, but occurred in different proportions— Pseudosiderastreatayami , Mycediumelephantotus and Leptastrea purpurea being disproportionately abundant on the artificial reef. Coral cover increased rapidly in the later stages of the study, reaching 2.3 ± 0.7 SE % at 62 months post construction. This study indicates that simple materials of opportunity can provide a suitable substrate for coral recruitment in Dampier Harbour, and that natural colonisation at the study site remains sufficient to initiate a coral community on artificial substrate despite ongoing natural and anthropogenic perturbations.
Highlights
The Pilbara coast of northwestern Australia is located between 22° S 114° E and 20° S 119° E, in a semi-arid environment with a range of coastal habitats including rocky shores, sandy shores, mud flats and mangroves [1]
Water quality Water temperature and turbidity were logged at a natural reef site (23°38.37’ S, 116°44.31’ E) 100 m southeast of the artificial reef during various environmental monitoring programs unrelated to the artificial reef project
Water quality The natural reef site underwent marked seasonal temperature variation, with seasonal minima of approximately 19°C in July and maxima of approximately 32°C in February (Figure 2), consistent with the seasonal pattern described by Pearce et al [2]
Summary
The Pilbara coast of northwestern Australia is located between 22° S 114° E and 20° S 119° E, in a semi-arid environment with a range of coastal habitats including rocky shores, sandy shores, mud flats and mangroves [1]. The Port of Dampier is situated midway along the Pilbara coast in the inner Mermaid Sound, a rock-dominated area with a complex coastline and numerous islands (Figure 1). Dampier’s marine environment is naturally dynamic, with a tidal range of up to 5 m [2], an annual water temperature range of approximately 18-32°C [2,3], high ultraviolet radiation [4] and high turbidity derived from both natural and anthropogenic causes [5]. Marine habitats in Dampier Harbour are subject to anthropogenic disturbance from ship traffic, dredging programs and land reclamation [10,11]. Modification of nearshore habitat for infrastructure development has removed sections of the original coral communities and possibly altered the composition and cover of nearby communities [12]
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