Development of a Standardized Modular System for Experimental Coral Culture |
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| Authors: | Rui J. M. Rocha Bogdan Bontas Paulo Cartaxana Miguel C. Leal José M. Ferreira Rui Rosa João Serôdio Ricardo Calado |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810‐193 Aveiro, Portugal;2. Faculty of Sciences, Biology Department, Vasile Alecsandri University of Bac?u, Romania Calea M?r??e?ti 157, 600115 Bac?u, Romania;3. Centro de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749‐016 Lisboa, Portugal;4. Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, Georgia 31411, USA;5. Ferreira CoWork, Arquitectura e Design, 3810 Aveiro, Portugal;6. Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, Centro de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Nossa Senhora do Cabo, 939, 2750‐374 Cascais, Portugal |
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| Abstract: | The increasing interest in coral culture for reef restoration, biotechnological applications, and to supply the marine aquarium trade has prompted researchers to optimize coral culture protocols, with emphasis on ex situ production. However, the diversity of experimental systems employed to investigate ex situ coral production may be a bottleneck to the advance of the state of the art, as it impairs reliable comparisons between experiments, as well as the replication and optimization of culture protocols. This study presents a versatile modular culture system for experimental coral production ex situ, assembled using materials and equipments available from suppliers all over the world and thus allowing researchers worldwide to truly replicate experimental setups. The validation of the modular culture system was performed using the soft coral, Sarcophyton cf. glaucum, as a model organism. The validation experiment tested the effect of different light spectra on the photosynthetic performance, symbiont density, chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments concentration, survival, and growth of coral fragments. The validation experiment confirmed the potential of this modular culture system, which ultimately enables researchers to perform direct comparisons among experiments, and more efficiently contribute to advance ex situ coral aquaculture. |
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