Projects

Advisor: Alex Mercado-Molina, PhD.

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Coral restoration efforts are part of a NOAA project, in collaboration with the Marine Environment Society (SAM), to restore continuity between seagrasses and coral reefs. This research is aimed at addressing the problem of the lack of demographic data in coral restoration efforts, which limits the evaluation of the effectiveness of coral transplantation as a restoration method. For this, we will measure the growth, survival and branching rate of A. palmata and A. cervicornis fragments transplanted to nurseries in Culebra. In addition, the performance of three coral nursery designs will be measured to determine which is the most efficient. Results of this study will help coral ecologists and managers in determining whether coral transplantation is a suitable method for reef restoration.