[Coral-List] Recent review on trophic interactions in coral reef restoration

[Mark Ladd]

Hello all,

I wanted to draw your attention to our recent publication on the
incorporation of trophic interactions in coral reef restoration approaches.
Below you can find the link for the paper and the abstract for those of
you who are interested. Included as a supplement with the publication is a
table of the 519 studies on coral reef restoration included and how they
were classified for the purposes of our review, which may be of use for
some of you. Please be in touch if you have any follow up, questions, or
issues with accessing the publication or supplementary material.

Best,

Mark Ladd

link: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1bGS98MrlB2e4%7E
<https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1bGS98MrlB2e4~>

*Abstract: *Ecology plays a central role in the management and conservation
of ecosystems. However, as coral restoration emerges as an increasingly
popular method of confronting the global decline of tropical coral reefs,
an ecological basis to guide restoration remains under-developed. Here, we
examine potential contributions that trophic ecology can make to reef
restoration efforts. To do so, we conducted a comprehensive review of 519
peer-reviewed restoration studies from the past thirty years. From our
review, we quantified how various important trophic interactions have been
considered by restoration practitioners to date and discuss how they may be
utilized to benefit coral restoration. We found that despite rapidly
growing interest in coral restoration, only 15% of restoration publications
considered trophic interactions, highlighting a clear mismatch between the
fundamental role of trophic ecology on coral reefs and its consideration in
restoration efforts. Herbivory was by far the most commonly studied process
(46 publications) while other processes such as corallivory (17
publications), coral heterotrophy (8 publications), and consumer-derived
nutrient cycling (4 publications) received far less attention despite their
known importance on reefs. To promote consideration of these important
processes in restoration, we consider how specific trophic interactions
within each of these areas can be leveraged through direct and indirect
pathways to benefit coral restoration. Ultimately, we argue that rather
than considering important trophic interactions as emergent outcomes of
reef restoration, practitioners utilize the lessons learned from trophic
ecology to help achieve their desired restoration outcomes.