By Alexandra Contreras | Project Coordinator
At the Puntacana Foundation Center for Marine Innovation, we use a popular technique in our restoration practices called micro-fragmentation. This consists of dividing larger donor colonies into smaller fragments of about 2 – 3 cm2 to promote faster growth rates in these fragments, as opposed to the natural growth rate of larger colonies. It is a technique that has been proven to be effective, however there are some challenges to be overcome, especially when out-planting individual fragments onto bare substrates on the natural reef.
One of the potential solutions we have been testing out, as part of our continued partnership with Sea Foundry, is their biodegradable nets. These nets are used in our day-to-day management of the coral micro-fragments in our land-based nursery, and for out-planting onto our underwater nurseries or natural reef sites. The materials that the nets were made with needed to withstand wave energy, while also providing stability for the corals and biodegrade in place once the corals started growing. Hence the need to explore the best combination and type of material that fulfills these requirements.
To determine which concentrations were the most appropriate for coral growth we conducted an experiment to test for the best combination of different concentrations of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and polymer plastic. For this, we tracked the growth rates for each coral fragment (i.e., area and volume) for two genotypes of coral species Montastraea cavernosa during 5 months. We found than fragments growing on meshes with a 20% concentration of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) tended to exhibit higher growth rates compared to counterparts situated on alternative nets. This finding highlights the importance of the composition of substrates for coral growth. This study can be used as an example of how important the role of technological innovation and AI use can be in advancing our understanding of reef restoration practices.
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