Is coral recruitment limited by sedimentation at War in the Pacific National Historical Park?
Lundgren I and Minton D. 2005. Is coral recruitment limited by sedimentation at War in the Pacific National Historical Park?. War in the Pacific NHP Technical Paper Series #2. War in the Pacific NHP, National Park Service
Coral reefs at War in the Pacific National Historical Park are a significant and fragile natural resource. Evidence exists that sediments are a limiting factor for coral recruitment (settlement and survival), therefore investigating the interaction and relationship between sediment load and recruitment is vital to mitigate disturbance and to encourage future coral reef health. Coral settling plates were deployed on the reefs of War in the Pacific National Historical Park to measure natural settlement rates under varying sediment loads. Although this project is only 25% complete, preliminary results show limited recruitment. While trends are not statistically significant, data indicate that recruits preferentially settle on the upper surfaces of plates; and that there is no relationship between recruitment and sediment load, despite established literature.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Lundgren, Ian; Minton, Dwayne
- Date of Issue
- 2005
- Publisher
- War in the Pacific NHP, National Park Service
- Units
- WAPA
- Keywords
- Coral Reefs, Guam, Marine, Recruitment, Sedimentation, Settlement, Water Quality