Reestablishing a stepping-stone population of the threatened elkhorn coral Acropora palmata to aid regional recovery
Recovery of the elkhorn coral Acropora palmata is critical to reversing coral reef ecosystem collapse in the western Atlantic, but the species is severely threatened. To gauge potential for the species’ restoration in Florida, USA, we conducted an assisted migration experiment where 50 coral fragments of 5 nursery-raised genetic strains (genets) from the upper Florida Keys were moved to 5 sites across 350 km of the offshore reef. Additionally, 4 fragments from the 1 remaining colony of A. palmata in Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO) were added to the 2 DRTO experimental sites to test for local adaptation. To measure coral performance, we tracked coral survival, calcification, growth, and condition from May 2018 to October 2019. All 24 corals relocated to the DRTO sites survived and calcified ~85% faster than the fewer surviving corals transplanted to the 2 upper Keys sites. While coral survival across the entire experiment did not depend on genet, there was a weak but statistically significant genetic effect on calcification rate among the corals relocated to DRTO. The DRTO native genet was among the fastest growing genets, but it was not the fastest, suggesting a lack of local adaptation at this scale. Our results indicate that DRTO, a remote reef system inhabited by the species during the Holocene and located at the nexus of major ocean currents, may be a prime location for reestablishing A. palmata. Assisted migration of A. palmata to DRTO could restore a sexually reproducing population in <10 yr, thereby promoting the species’ regional recovery.
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Title | Reestablishing a stepping-stone population of the threatened elkhorn coral Acropora palmata to aid regional recovery |
| DOI | 10.3354/esr01083 |
| Authors | Ilsa B. Kuffner, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Lauren Toth, Lucy Bartlett |
| Publication Type | Article |
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Series Title | Endangered Species Research |
| Index ID | 70216972 |
| Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
| USGS Organization | St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center |
Related Content
Experimental coral-growth data and time-series imagery for Acropora palmata in the Florida Keys, U.S.A.
Ilsa B Kuffner, Ph.D.
Research Marine Biologist
Anastasios Stathakopoulos
Oceanographer
Lauren Toth, Ph.D.
Research Physical Scientist
Related Content
- Data
Experimental coral-growth data and time-series imagery for Acropora palmata in the Florida Keys, U.S.A.
The USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/) provides science that helps resource managers tasked with the stewardship of coral reef resources. This data release contains data on coral-growth rates and time-series photographs taken of colonies of the elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, grown at five sites on the Florida Keys reef tract from spring 2018 to autumn - Connect
Ilsa B Kuffner, Ph.D.
Research Marine BiologistEmailPhoneAnastasios Stathakopoulos
OceanographerEmailPhoneLauren Toth, Ph.D.
Research Physical ScientistEmailPhone