Ex situ culture of coral species Porites lobata (Scleractinia: Poritidae) and Pocillopora damicornis (Scleractinia: Pocilloporidae), Costa Rica: first assessment and implications
Introduction: Coral reefs worldwide decline has prompted coral restoration as a viable strategy to rewild vulnerable, foundational coral species. Stony corals are now propagated by thousands in both in-water and ex situ (land-based) coral nurseries, the latter being unexplored in Costa Rica, despi...
| Autores Principales: | Marín-Moraga, José A., Chacón Guzmán, Jonathan, Méndez Venegas, Mauricio, Hernández Mora, Ronny Alexander, Cortés, Jorge |
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| Formato: | Artículo |
| Idioma: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Universidad de Costa Rica (Costa Rica)
2024
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: |
http://hdl.handle.net/11056/27275 https://doi.org/10.15517/rev.biol.trop..v71iS1.54926 |
| Sumario: |
Introduction: Coral reefs worldwide decline has prompted coral restoration as a viable strategy to rewild vulnerable,
foundational coral species. Stony corals are now propagated by thousands in both in-water and ex situ
(land-based) coral nurseries, the latter being unexplored in Costa Rica, despite their potential benefits as a reef
management tool.
Objective: To analyze the viability of ex situ culturing of the Pacific reef-building corals Porites lobata and
Pocillopora damicornis at Parque Marino del Pacífico (PMP), Puntarenas, Costa Rica, aquaculture facilities.
Methods: From May to October 2018 a total of 180 coral fragments were kept in an aquaculture recirculated
system. Survival, growth, and fragment yield in relation to culture medium (physicochemical parameters) were
recorded.
Results: Survival and growth rate varied between species and culture tanks. On average, surviving P. lobata
fragments (68.89 %) placed in Tank 1 (T1) grew 216 %, while fragments placed in Tank 2 (T2) had a survival
rate of 71.11 % and an increase of 277 % in live tissue area. P. damicornis fragments survival, basal and crown
area percentage increase were: 71.11 %, 980 % and 366 % in T1, and 100 %, 976 % and 287 % in T2. Although
fragments survival and growth were net positive, the yield in terms of culture was low, due to culture conditions
in the tanks not meeting coral culture optimal requirements.
Conclusions: Survival and growth of both species varied depending on the tank in which they were placed.
Survival was similar to that found in other ex situ studies and growth was similar to those reported in the wild,
however culture performance in terms of yield was low. Aquaculture systems at PMP constitute a good base
for the cultivation of corals, however for the culture effort to achieve maximum yield, current systems must be
optimized according to the requirements of the target coral species. |
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