A comparison of settlement plate types for experiments on the recruitment of scleractinian corals

Eight substratum types, covering the range normally used for experiments on recruitment of scleractinian corals, were compared for cost, convenience, ability to attract recruits, and taxonomic composition of recruits. Plates varied significantly in number and types of recruits, indicating that studies uhlizing different types of settlement surfaces cannot be compared directly to one another. Recruitment patterns also varied between forereef and backreef study sites, a d d ~n g to the growing list of factors that contribute to variability in scleractinian recruitment.