Cushion sea-star removal enhances coral restoration practices and limits background mortality on recovering reefs

IF 2.7 2区 生物学 Q1 MARINE & FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
Matthew Walker, Selma D. Mezger, Aiden Clarke, Igor Pessoa, Johanna Leonhardt, Ahmad Allahgholi, Jamie Craggs, Michael John Sweet
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Abstract

The capacity for natural coral reef recovery and the effectiveness of active restoration efforts are often contingent upon uncertain and understudied background variables, such as chronic predation for example. In the Maldives, small coral colonies (< 10 cm), primarily from the genera Pocillopora and Acropora (often found recolonising degraded reefs) are frequently predated on by the spiny cushion sea-star (Culcita schmideliana). Incidentally, these same corals (especially Acroporids) are often prioritised in active reef restoration practices. However, the level of risk these corallivores pose on restoration success has not yet been assessed. Here, we aimed to initially document the population densities of C. schmideliana on a degraded reef system in the Maldives (Kunfunadhoo, Baa Atoll). We then assessed their associated predatory effects on coral recruits and transplants, and explored the benefits of C. schmideliana removal on the survival of these corals. Population densities ranged between 1.2 and 3.3 individuals per 100 m2, which resulted in high predation rates on coral recruits (4 – 20%) and transplants (11 – 43%). Culcita schmideliana predation accounted for the majority of the documented mortality (85%). Where C. schmideliana were removed, a significant increase in survival for recruits (9% higher) and transplants (24% higher) was shown. Further observations linked a cessation of C. schmideliana removal to a significant rise in predation instances for previously protected corals (up to 52%). Our study therefore highlights the severe impacts of C. schmideliana predation and shows Culcita spp. population management as a viable passive solution for effective reef restoration.

Abstract Image

移除垫海星可加强珊瑚恢复工作,限制正在恢复的珊瑚礁的本底死亡率
珊瑚礁的自然恢复能力和积极恢复工作的有效性往往取决于不确定和未充分研究的背景变量,例如长期捕食。在马尔代夫,主要来自 Pocillopora 和 Acropora 属的小珊瑚群(约 10 厘米)(经常在退化的珊瑚礁上发现)经常被刺垫海星(Culcita schmideliana)捕食。顺便提一下,这些珊瑚(尤其是 Acroporids)在积极的珊瑚礁恢复实践中往往被列为优先考虑的对象。然而,这些珊瑚食草动物对珊瑚礁恢复成功所造成的风险程度尚未得到评估。在这里,我们旨在初步记录马尔代夫一个退化珊瑚礁系统(巴环礁 Kunfunadhoo)中 C. schmideliana 的种群密度。然后,我们评估了它们对珊瑚新生和移植的相关捕食作用,并探讨了移除 C. schmideliana 对这些珊瑚存活的益处。种群密度介于每 100 平方米 1.2 到 3.3 个个体之间,这导致了对新珊瑚(4 - 20%)和移植珊瑚(11 - 43%)的高捕食率。Culcita schmideliana 的捕食占记录死亡率的大部分(85%)。在移除 Culcita schmideliana 后,新珊瑚(高出 9%)和移植珊瑚(高出 24%)的存活率显著提高。进一步观察发现,停止移除 C. schmideliana 与之前受到保护的珊瑚被捕食的情况显著增加(高达 52%)有关。因此,我们的研究强调了 C. schmideliana 捕食的严重影响,并表明 Culcita spp.种群管理是有效恢复珊瑚礁的一种可行的被动解决方案。
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来源期刊
Coral Reefs
Coral Reefs 生物-海洋与淡水生物学
CiteScore
6.80
自引率
11.40%
发文量
111
审稿时长
4-8 weeks
期刊介绍: Coral Reefs, the Journal of the International Coral Reef Society, presents multidisciplinary literature across the broad fields of reef studies, publishing analytical and theoretical papers on both modern and ancient reefs. These encourage the search for theories about reef structure and dynamics, and the use of experimentation, modeling, quantification and the applied sciences. Coverage includes such subject areas as population dynamics; community ecology of reef organisms; energy and nutrient flows; biogeochemical cycles; physiology of calcification; reef responses to natural and anthropogenic influences; stress markers in reef organisms; behavioural ecology; sedimentology; diagenesis; reef structure and morphology; evolutionary ecology of the reef biota; palaeoceanography of coral reefs and coral islands; reef management and its underlying disciplines; molecular biology and genetics of coral; aetiology of disease in reef-related organisms; reef responses to global change, and more.
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