Ask an Aquanaut: Coral Transplants
Richard asks: Was it last year that you fastened coral to the reef? And has the coral grown? How high has it grown?
Hi Richard,
We transplanted the corals during our mission last year (June 2008). The two species of coral we transplanted have very different growth rates and patterns. The branching staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) transplants that have survived have more than doubled in size while the mounding coral (Montastraea faveolata) grows very slowly. Important to the purpose of our study, it appears that some of the coral groups from different sources, or even different coral genotypes from the same source, have significantly higher growth rates than others, and may thus serve as more fruitful transplants for restocking.
Dr. Margaret Miller
Aquarius Principal Investigator
NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service
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