Abstract

Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, was the dominant coral species of shallow reefs in the Caribbean, but has suffered widespread mortality since the 1980s. The reef topography provided by live and dead Elkhorn coral colonies is an important factor influencing fish community structure on A. palmata reefs. Thus, the overall reduction of topographic relief has caused loss of critical habitat for reef fishes, including commercially important species and associated fauna and flora. This project will examine the feasibility of using artificial structures simulating Elkhorn's coral three-dimensional complexity as a reef restoration alternative. Three treatments will be tested against one control: live coral, dead coral and the artificial structures. A mixture of cement and crushed recycled PVC will be used for the production of artificial structures. Time-series surveys of fish, motile megabenthic invertebrates and percent cover by sessile-benthic biota will be performed monthly during one year. Multivariate statistics will be used to analyze variations of fish and invertebrates species assemblages within and between treatments. The main research hypothesis is that artificial Elkhorn coral structures provide a recruitment and protective habitat for the reef community similar to that provided by simulated standing dead coral structures. This initiative may represent a new habitat restoration technique that will be fast to construct and more durable than standing dead colonies.

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