The effect of current in scleractinian coral recruit dispersal on artificial substrates

• Main Authors: Ahmad, Zuhairi, Awaluddin, Naimah Aisyah, Saad, Shahbudin, Rani, Mohd Husaini, Khodzori, Mohd. Fikri Akmal, Yusof, Muhammad Hamizan
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English; English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: Q Science (General)
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/47058/7/47058.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/47058/8/47058_poster.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/47058/; http://www.iium.edu.my/icast/
• Institution: Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia

Coral recruitment is the key determinant to preserve coral reef system. This study was conducted in three different stations on Bidong Island. The artificial substrates mounted in frames and deployed horizontally near the coral reef community. The settlement plates were allowed to be colonized for six month periods from April until October 2014. The number of settled coral was counted using stereo microscope and Dinolite instrument in term of frequency, recruits position and condition. The current pattern has been simulated using MIKE21 HD software based on analyzed tides, wind, manning, and bathymetry data. The model has been verified with the field data with R2 of 0.930. As a result, the total number of recruits recorded is 92 at station 1, 137 at station 2, and 274 at station 3. Station 1 shows the strongest current with mean speed of 0.0145 msˉ¹ and recorded the least number of coral recruits. Kruskal- Wallis tests found that there are highly significant (p<0.05) between number of coral recruits versus stations (current speed). Therefore, based on this study, we are able to understand the effect of current on coral recruits distribution process and manage better restoration planning in the future.