Effect of marine reserve status on coral seeding in the inshore Great Barrier Reef

Highly connected marine reserves and assisted coral restoration are promising strategies to support coral reefs amidst rapid climate change. However, their effects on coral–fish interactions and thereby coral recovery processes via recruitment remain poorly understood. Coral seeding offers a valuable approach to investigate the ecological dynamics shaping reef communities within marine reserves. To investigate the impacts of reserve status and fish predation on coral recruitment, we deployed Acropora millepora spat on coral seeding devices to 6 sites in the Keppel Islands, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Sites were selected from marine park zones open or closed to fishing, and 2 devices with fish-exclusion features were tested against a control. After 11 mo, >60% of devices had live corals. Coral yield was site-specific, with little variation across reserve zones. Reefs abundant with damselfish (60–200 individuals in 39.25 m²) and Pocillopora corals (>15% cover) supported higher survival than those with parrotfish, macroalgae, and sediments. Only the fish exclusion star device yielded more corals than the featureless control, and this result was strongest at Home Reef where feeding by scraping parrotfish was high (20 bites min^–1 in 0.25 m²). Our study demonstrates that while marine reserve status is not a good predictor of coral seeding success, ecological characteristics can be used to guide site selection to maximise benefits for reef restoration.

Marine Ecology Progress Series

Marine Ecology Progress Series

780

1616-1599

N/A

N/A

15