Meeting Abstract

P1.56  Monday, Jan. 4  Coral Farming: Species Specific Effects of Light, Water Motion and Artificial Foods KIMOKEO, Bethany K.*; FORSMAN, Zac H.; HUNTER, Cynthia L.; TOONEN, Robert J.; University of Hawaii, Manoa; Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology; University of Hawaii, Manoa; Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology bkimokeo@hawaii.edu

Improved coral husbandry is the key to a more sustainable aquarium industry, and may have implications for restoration research or other studies that use coral as an experimental organism. In this study, we examine species specific responses in growth and survival to light, water motion, and artificial (i.e. non-living) food supplements. Three species representing distinct, diverse, and abundant coral genera were chosen (Montipora capitata (Mc), Porites compressa (Pc), Pocillopora damicornis (Pd)) for three experiments to examine; 1) the interaction of light and water motion on growth and survival of Mc and Pc, 2) effects of artificial foods on Mc, Pc, and Pd in closed systems, 3) the effects of increasing dosage of artificial foods in an open system on Mc and Pc. The results of experiment one indicate that Pc thrived at the highest light levels (450-1250 µmol s-1 m-2), while Mc exhibited bleaching and reduced growth. High constant linear flow (11.10 ± 0.69 cm s-1) resulted in less growth than low flow (3.93 ± 0.37 cm s-1), with the exception of Mc in high light conditions. Experiment two indicated that some artificial foods result in significant growth in Mc and Pd, but not in Pc. Experiment three indicated that increased doses of artificial foods can result in decreased growth, even in an open system. All three experiments had significant species and colony level effects indicating that each species has unique requirements, and that colony health or genotype prior to fragmentation influence subsequent growth and survivorship.