scholarly journals Differential survival of nursery‐reared Acropora cervicornis outplants along the Florida reef tract

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Woesik ◽  
Raymond B. Banister ◽  
Erich Bartels ◽  
David S. Gilliam ◽  
Elizabeth A. Goergen ◽  
...  
Coral Reefs ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 585-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Crawford Drury ◽  
Claire B. Paris ◽  
Vassiliki H. Kourafalou ◽  
Diego Lirman

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica S Levy ◽  
Kayla J Ripple ◽  
Ken Nedimyer ◽  
Scott R Winters

Florida and Caribbean coral reefs are in a state of unprecedented decline. Reefs once dominated by branching, hard-coral species, Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata, have lost upwards of 98% of Acroporid cover in recent decades. This decline is attributed to multiple, compounding factors. As these threats continue, there is a clear need for innovative methods to bolster remaining populations thus signaling to managers that intervention is needed to support recovery of the species. The urgency around coral decline has prompted practitioners to try a variety of restoration techniques. While promising, efforts need to incorporate best-practices of supporting genetic diversity, ecological function, and resiliency for successful coral restoration outcomes. Herein we present novel approaches to coral population enhancement (coral restoration) that blend science and practice. Guided by NOAA’s Acropora Recovery Plan, we have implemented an ambitious restoration plan to outplant 50,700 corals using both Acropora species across eight reefs along the Florida Reef Tract. The restoration strategies presented here are designed to meet several population-based recovery objectives and criteria identified in the Acropora Recovery Plan including: increasing abundance, promoting genetic diversity, promoting recruitment, and disease mitigation (as informed by monitoring).


2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1946) ◽  
pp. 20210177
Author(s):  
Crawford Drury ◽  
Diego Lirman

Climate-driven reef decline has prompted the development of next-generation coral conservation strategies, many of which hinge on the movement of adaptive variation across genetic and environmental gradients. This process is limited by our understanding of how genetic and genotypic drivers of coral bleaching will manifest in different environmental conditions. We reciprocally transplanted 10 genotypes ofAcropora cervicornisacross eight sites along a 60 km span of the Florida Reef Tract and documented significant genotype × environment interactions in bleaching response during the severe 2015 bleaching event. Performance relative to site mean was significantly different between genotypes and can be mostly explained by ensemble models of correlations with genetic markers. The high explanatory power was driven by significant enrichment of loci associated DNA repair, cell signalling and apoptosis. No genotypes performed above (or below) bleaching average at all sites, so genomic predictors can provide practitioners with ‘confidence intervals' about the chance of success in novel habitats. These data have important implications for assisted gene flow and managed relocation, and their integration with traditional active restoration.


2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 267-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Baker ◽  
P. Hallock ◽  
E. F. Moses ◽  
D. E. Williams ◽  
A. Ramirez

1989 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 568-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter W. Glynn ◽  
Alina M. Szmant ◽  
Eugene F. Corcoran ◽  
Stephen V. Cofer-Shabica

Author(s):  
Peeter Laas ◽  
Kelly Ugarelli ◽  
Breege Boyer ◽  
Michael J. Absten ◽  
Henry O. Briceño ◽  
...  

The Florida Keys, a delicate archipelago of sub-tropical islands extending from the south-eastern tip of Florida, host the vast majority of the only coral barrier reef in the continental United States. Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), which was first detected near Virginia Key in 2014, has spread throughout the Florida Reef Tract and to reefs throughout the Caribbean, af-fecting nearly all reef-building corals. Molecular studies of SCTLD have identified opportunistic pathogens associated with the disease, but so far no single pathogen can be clearly pinpointed as its cause. One focus of recent research has been the surrounding environment of the corals, coined the 'coral ecosphere'. Abiotic and microbial components of the coral ecosphere are pivot-al for understanding the health of a reef, and could play an important role in SCTLD in Florida. In this study, we analyzed microbial community structure and abiotic factors that can impact coral (and human) health. Both, bacterial and eukaryotic community structure were significantly linked with variations in temperature, dissolved oxygen and total organic carbon values. High abundances of copiotrophic bacteria as well as several potentially harmful microbes, including coral pathogens, fish parasites, and taxa that have been previously associated with Red Tide and shellfish poisoning, were present in our datasets and can have a pivotal impact on coral health in this ecosystem.


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