PHYSIOLOGICAL AND ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CORAL TRANSPLANTATION

The growth and mortality of transplants of two species of scleractinia n corals, Porites cylindrica Dana and P. rus Forskal (1775), were moni tored over 16 months in a reef in the northwestern Philippines. Transp lants were in two sizes (nubbin, similar to 8 cm in length; and fist-s ized, similar to 8 cm in diameter) and deployed at two depths (1 and 1 0 m). Specimens at the shallow depth had more rapid growth than the de eper ones, Light had significant effects on coral growth while tempera ture, salinity, water motion and sedimentation did not. Smaller corals consistently registered greater percentage increases in size as compa red to the larger ones. Small transplants of P. cylindrica showed high er percentage growth rates than those of P. rus. Contrary to expectati ons, there were no differences in transplant mortality due to size. Ov er the course of the experiment, mortality was generally confined to t he shallow depth. It was brought about either by algal competition or by strong water movement. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science BN. All rights res erved.