Study

Enhancing the biodiversity of coastal defence structures: transplantation of nursery-reared reef biota onto intertidal seawalls

  • Published source details Ng C.S.L., Lim S.C., Ong J.Y., Teo L.M.S., Chou L.M., Chua K.E. & Tan K.S. (2015) Enhancing the biodiversity of coastal defence structures: transplantation of nursery-reared reef biota onto intertidal seawalls. Ecological Engineering, 82, 480-486.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Transplant or seed organisms onto intertidal artificial structures

Action Link
Biodiversity of Marine Artificial Structures
  1. Transplant or seed organisms onto intertidal artificial structures

    A study in 2010–2012 on an intertidal seawall on an island coastline in the Singapore Strait, Singapore (Ng et al. 2015) found that 0–90% of coral and sponge fragments transplanted onto the seawall survived, depending on the species, and that most survivors grew. After 24 months, hard coral transplant survival was higher for Porites lobata (47%) than Pocillopora damicornis and Hydnophora rigida (both 0%). Soft coral survival was higher for Lobophytum sp. (88%) than Cladiella sp. (37%) and Sinularia sp. (13%). Sponge survival was higher for Lendenfeldia chondrodes (68%) than Spongia ceylonensis (14%) and Rhabdastrella globostellata (0%). In hard corals transplanted for 13 months, survival was higher for Goniastrea minuta (90%) than Diploastrea heliopora (10%). Diploastrea heliopora fragments had negative growth rates (-1.2 cm2/month), while the other seven surviving species had positive growth rates (0.3–19.7 cm2/month). Corals and sponges were collected from natural reefs, reared in a nursery, then fragmented and transplanted onto a granite boulder seawall at lowshore. Fragments (≥30 mm) of three hard coral species (18–38 fragments/species), three soft coral species (30–40/species) and three sponge species (44–49/species) were transplanted in May 2010. Fragments of two additional hard coral species (30 fragments/species) were transplanted in April 2011. Hard corals were transplanted directly onto seawall surfaces using epoxy putty, while soft corals and sponges were grown onto concrete plates (50 mm diameter, 5 mm thick) first. Transplants were monitored during low tide until May 2012.

    (Summarised by: Ally Evans)

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