Assessing the effectiveness of different transplantation methods for the red coral Corallium rubrum in the Ligurian Sea

Student: 
Juliette Villechanoux

Corallium rubrum has been exploited by humankind for centuries. The long-term exploitation dynamics of this species make it ever more important today to increase protection and restoration efforts, especially in areas where natural recovery is hindered or unlikely. So far, only very few experiments were carried out in the past investigating suitable techniques for the successful transplantation of this species. For this reason, a review was conducted in order to synthesize previous results and identify most promising methodologies. Additionally, unpublished data of six different transplantation techniques was analysed and discussed in the context of the review. Five techniques used fragments for transplantation while one used newly settled larvae on PVC-tiles. C. rubrum often grows upside down under crevices and rims as well as in caves making the transplantation of fragments comparatively challenging. For the first time, C. rubrum was transplanted upside down and using a PVC-grid in combination with an epoxy putty to hold fragments in place showed promising results. Further, adaptive capabilities of this species were discovered as a potential response to changing environmental conditions.