Trends in growth and mortality of three coral species (Anthozoa: Scleractinia), including effects of transplantation

Three ecologically dominant coral species in a northern Philippine reef were compared in terms of growth and mortality and responses to transplantation The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of uslng the species concerned in estabhsh~ng new coral populations through deliberate fragmentation The species, Acropora hyacinthus, Pocillopora dam~cornis and Pavona frondifera, displayed distinct differences which could b e related to their respective life-history strategies A hyaanthus showed tendencies towards an r-mode, with rapid linear growth but also high mortality rates Response to transplantation was poor Poc~llopora damicornis had intermediate linear growth rates and relatively high mortahty Transplants fared poorly in the initial part of the experiment though they showed successful adaptation after a year Mortality rates of both A h y a a n t h u s and P damlcornis were increased by high temperatures dunng certain t ~m e s of the year Pavona frondlfera had the highest linear growth rates and no mortality, tending towards a K-mode of life history strategy It showed the best response to transplantation This species is thus a suitable candidate for large-scale reef restoration