Restoring degraded coral colony using two coral transplantation techniques: A case study from Dapeng Bay, Shenzhen, China

Abstract

Three coral species, i.e. Acropora digitifera, Acropora pruinosa and Montipora peltiformis, were transplanted on 'chessboard' reef (CR) and natural substrate (NS) in Dapeng Bay, and their performance were monitored for one year. Our findings revealed that, the corals transplanted in both ways were successful and well adapted to the local environment. In comparison, corals on CR had greater growth advantage than those on NS, with corresponding height (width) growth rates of 2.03 ± 0.88 cm yr-1 to 4.82 ± 1.64 cm yr-1 (4.98 ± 1.53 cm yr-1 to 6.24 ± 2.71 cm yr-1) and 1.38 ± 0.72 cm yr-1 to 4.78 ± 2.60 cm yr-1 (1.17 ± 0.50 cm yr-1 to 4.06 ± 1.36 cm yr-1), respectively. However, the cost of CR planting technique was higher, about 1.4 times that of NS. Temperature and suspended particulate matter were the main factors affecting the health and growth of transplanted corals. This study clarified the performance of corals transplanted on CR and NS, which can provide a basis for the selection of transplantation techniques in coral reef restoration.