caulerpa taxifolia in moreton bay - Centre for Marine Science ...

3.3 RECIPROCAL TRANSPLANTS
3.3.1 Site Description
Caulerpa taxifolia in Moreton Bay
To examine competitive interactions and the effect of physical disturbance, reciprocal
transplant experiments were performed between a monospecific C. taxifolia bed and a
monospecific Zostera capricorni seagrass bed in similar water depth (~80 cm at low
tide) in One Mile Harbour, Dunwich, North Stradbroke Island (Figure 2, page 8).
3.3.2 Experimental design, measurements and analyses
In the reciprocal transplant experiment, a 122 mm diameter stainless steel corer was
used to take a core to a sediment depth of 10 cm. Four C. taxifolia cores were
removed, leaving holes in the sediment. Four Z. capricorni cores were then taken and
placed in the holes left by the C. taxifolia cores. The C. taxifolia cores were then
placed in the holes left by the cores in the Z. capricorni patch. Transplant controls
consisted of four cores of C. taxifolia replaced in their original holes, and was
repeated for Z. capricorni (Figure 4). The location of the cores were marked using
galvanised tent pegs with floating plastic chain attached and these were inserted in the
middle of the core. Survivorship of the cores was recorded three months after the
commencement of the experiment. Frond density and the distance grown away from
the original core were also recorded for the C. taxifolia cores. Due to poor
survivorship of the Z. capricorni cores, other measurements could not be used.
Results were analysed using a general linear model.
Caulerpa taxifolia Zostera capricorni
Figure 4. Conceptual diagram depicting experimental design of the reciprocal transplant experiment.
Jane Thomas -11-
Materials and Methods