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Experimental determination of the cost of lesion healing on Porites compressa growth

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Abstract

The spotted puffer (Arothron meleagris) commonly feeds on finger coral (Porites compressa) on Hawaiian shallow reefs. The predation involves removal of branch tips, resulting in open lesions that, in the field, heal in little over a month. This study determined the cost of tissue regeneration across simulated bite scars on the growth of experimentally scarred P. compressa nubbins, of three different size classes (4, 2, 1 cm tall), in a controlled laboratory environment. The results indicate that inflicted P. compressa lesions heal completely within approximately 36 days, on even the smallest nubbins. While growth was slowed before lesions closed, the healing process did not appear to affect the longer-term growth of fragments. Successful regeneration of tissue may be explained by small lesion size, the high surface area to perimeter ratio of the lesions, and the location of lesions on the growing tips. The lack of impact on overall growth rate of experimental fragments indicates that under favorable conditions, P. compressa is resilient to predation.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the US Geological Survey. I thank the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology for access to mesocosm tanks and Dr. John Stimson for offering logistical support and help in designing the study. I thank Charles Birkeland and Ivor Williams for valuable comments and criticism that helped improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2538 McCarthy Mall, Edmondson 152, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    D. Jayewardene

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  1. D. Jayewardene
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Correspondence to D. Jayewardene.

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Communicated by Environment Editor Prof. Rob van Woesik

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Jayewardene, D. Experimental determination of the cost of lesion healing on Porites compressa growth. Coral Reefs 29, 131–135 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-009-0560-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-009-0560-2

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