Abstract:
Coral reefs are currently in a state of deterioration. and takes longer to recover naturally Nowadays, there are different techniques for restoring coral reefs in different environments. The purpose of this study was to study the differences in seawater quality in four transplanting stations: Viharn Luang Por Dam Beach, Samae San Beach (SM), Koh Si Chang (SC), Koh Man Nai (KM), and Koh Kood Island (KD). The growth, survival rate, and health levels of corals transplanted to three locations: Acropora robusta, Pocillopora damicornis, and Platygyra daedalea, and species composition of zooxanthellae in the three coral species before and after transplantation. transplant the transplantation was done with PVC tubing for 8 months. The results showed that A. robusta, P. damicornis, and P. daedaleagrew both horizontally and vertically. Average growth was 0.48±1.37, 0.15±0.42, and 0.04±0.41 cm/month, respectively. Survival rates of each coral species were variable. A. robusta and P. damicornis corals had the lowest survival rates with statistical significance (p < 0.05), while P. daedalea had the lowest survival rates of SM and SC when testing the correlation of measured water quality. with the growth rate of each coral species, both positive and negative correlations of some water quality were found on the growth of each coral species (p < 0.05). After transplantation, P. daedalea, the species of zooxanthellae changed from D1 and C3u to D1.6 in the KD site. All three coral species had the best growth, survival, and health levels in the KD site. Due to the relatively short study period and the number of replicates of damaged coral branches in some stations. Therefore, there should be continuous follow-up in the long term. and increase the number of repetitions of the study. to draw conclusions that are clearer. Coral reefs currently suffer from degradation as a result of both natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Although natural recovery can occur in some reefs, it is a very slow process. Coral reef rehabilitation is one of the popular efforts to restore degraded reefs. However, it is unclear which parameters should be used to evaluate the suitability of new habitats for transplants. This study tests the effect of environmental variables on morphological plasticity and zooxanthellae composition before and after among transplanted clone-mates in corals including Acropora robusta, Pocillopora damicornis and Platygyra daedalea. The corals were transplanted from Viharn Luang Phor Dam Beach, Sattahip District, Chonburi Province (as reference site) to experimental sites in Koh Sichang, Chonburi Province; Koh Mun Nai, Rayong Province; and Koh Rad- Koh Kood, Trat Province for 8 months during June 2020 February 2021. At the end of the study, mean growth rates of Acropora robusta, P. damicornis and P. daedalea were found to be 1862261496 BUU iThesis 61910107 thesis / recv: 07042566 12:47:32 / seq: 35 ฉ 0.48+1.37, 0.15+0.42 and 0.04+0.41 cm/month, respectively. Survival rate varied among coral taxa and sites Acropora robusta and P. damicornis had significantly lower survival (p < 0.05) at Viharn Luang Phor Dam than at other sites. Meanwhile, P. daedalea had significantly lower survival (p < 0.05) at Koh Mun Nai and Koh Sichang. Correlations between environmental variables and growth rates of transplanted corals show significant relationships (p< 0.05) with positive and negative effects on growth rate. Similar zooxanthellae species composition were observed before and after transplanted among sites and coral species. Durusdinium (D1) was observed in Pocillopora damicornis, Durusdinium (D1) and Cladocopium (C3u) were observed in Platygyra daedalea, whereas only Cladocopium (C3u) was observed in Acropora robusta. Some effects may not have been revealed due to the short monitoring time in this project and the low number of replicates as a result of damage to some transplants. Future work should involve long-term monitoring of transplanted coral and more replications of transplants.