Caribbean Acropora Restoration Guide - The Florida Reef ...

Chapter 3 | Coral Gardening Methodology
Typical monitoring parameters include the following:
1) Growth Measurements
• Initial measurement: when a fragment is brought into the nursery after transplantation, the
fragment is measured for total live tissue. (Figure 6, image A and B)
• Fragmentation measurement: each time a colony in the nursery is fragmented, the live tissue of the
donor colonies and the fragment removed should be measured. This measures total production of
the colony over time.
2) Number of branch tips – branch tips should be considered any tissue ›1 cm.
3) Maximum branch width – width of branch at base of colony or fragment.
4) Condition – disease, predation, bleaching, algal and other overgrowth, breakage, tissue loss.
5) Mortality – number of fragments or colonies with complete tissue loss.
6) Attachment or stabilization of fragments or colonies – e.g., loose or cemented to platform, loose
or intact cable ties.
7) Water quality – collecting basic information on water quality, such as temperature and light, can
be accomplished with simple and affordable instruments (e.g., Hobo loggers) and can provide useful
information on the conditions within a nursery.
8) Photographs – photographs of nursery colonies can provide a valuable permanent visual record of
these parameters.
A
B
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Photo: Liz Larson
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3
6
1
2
Figure 6: In situ measurements of nursery fragments; linear growth and tissue extension. Image A is diagramming
the linear growth measurement (maximum height). Image B is diagramming the tissue extension measurements, all
measurements 1– 6 were added together to get total live tissue for the fragment.
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