International Journal of Marine Science, 2024, Vol.14, No.5, 321-331 http://www.aquapublisher.com/index.php/ijms 330 During each underwater survey, the 180 coral fragments were measured by divers to the nearest millimeter with a Vernier caliper along the longest axis of the coral fragment to track their growth. The growth rate of the corals (Gr) was calculated with the formula Gr=T1-T0, where T0 represents the measurement of the fragment at time 0, and T1 represents the measurement of the same fragment at the subsequent time measured every 2 months. The ecological volume (EV) was calculated by taking three measurements to the nearest mm using a Vernier caliper. EV=πr2h; where r=(w+l)/4 with ‘h’ representing the longest linear colony diameter of the three perpendicular measurements (h= height, w=width, l=length) (Shafir et al. 2006; Dehnert et al., 2022). Health condition (H) was recorded as follow: fragments with 100% living tissue (H3), more than 50% living coral tissue (H2), and less than 50% living tissue on the fragment (H1). Presence of diseases was also recorded by visual assessment (Dehnert et al., 2022; Pancrazi et al., 2023). In case of a suspected diseased coral fragment, a photo was taken to be analyzed. Predation was recorded when bitemarks or predation scars were evident on the fragments. Survival was determined as percentage (%) of coral fragments that survived after 6 months. 4.4 Statistical analysis Statistical analysis was conducted in Graphpad Prism 8.0.2 Software, representing all data as arithmetic mean ± SD. Nonparametric tests were selected where normality assumptions were violated. Survival was compared using a Chi-square test of independence and Fisher's exact test. One-way ANOVA (P < 0.05) with Tukey's multiple comparisons test was used to analyze coral growth rates and other continuous variables across different nursery designs or depths. The assumptions of normality and homogeneity of variances were checked using the Shapiro-Wilk test and Levene's test, respectively. Graphs were created with Graphpad Prism 8.0.2 Software. Acknowledgments The author thanks Minor Hotels, Anantara Dhigu and Micheal Parker (Cluster General Manager) for their support. The author thanks Coral Reef CPR team for their invaluable contributions to this project. Special thanks to the field team (Thasneem Ahmed and Virginia Rossi) and to AMD engineering team for their dedication and efforts. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The author affirms that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. References Baker A.C., and Vize P.D., 2015, Ecological and biological factors influencing coral growth in nursery settings, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 521: 1-15. Burdett H.L., Albright R., Foster G.L., Mass T., Page T.M., Rinkevich B., Schoepf V., Silverman J., and Kamenos N.A. ,2024, Including environmental and climatic considerations for sustainable coral reef restoration, PLoS Biology, 22(3): e3002542. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002542 Cinner J.E., Huchery C., and MacNeil M.A., 2018, Meeting fisheries, ecosystem function, and biodiversity goals in a human-dominated world, Science, 359(6378): 1255-1260. Costanza R., de Groot R., Sutton P., van der Ploeg S., Anderson S.J. and Kubiszewski I., 2014, Changes in the global value of ecosystem services, Global Environmental Change, 26: 152-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.04.002 Dehnert I., Saponari L., Galli P., and Montano S., 2022, Comparing different farming habitats for mid-water rope nurseries to advance coral restoration efforts in the Maldives, PeerJ, 10: e12874. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12874 Edmunds P.J. and Elahi R., 2007, The effects of depth on coral growth and health, Coral Reefs, 26(3): 607-616. Edwards A.J., Clark S., Zahir H., Rajasuriya A., Naseer A., and Rubens J., 2001, Coral bleaching and mortality on artificial and natural reefs in Maldives in 1998, sea surface temperature anomalies and initial recovery, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 42(1): 7-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-326X(00)00200-9 Gomez, E.D., Aliño, P.M. and Iida, Y., 2011, The role of Montipora digitata in coral reef restoration, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 62(8): 1681-1689. Harrison P.L., and Wallace C.C., 2012, Reproduction, dispersal, and recruitment of scleractinian corals, Coral Reefs, 31(1): 85-101. Hughes T.P., Barnes M.L., Bellwood D.R., Cinner J.E., Cumming G.S. and Jackson J.B., 2017, Coral reefs in the Anthropocene, Nature, 546(7656): 82-90. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22901 Hughes, T.P., Bellwood, D.R. and Connell, J.H., 2012, Community ecology of corals, Coral Reefs, 31(1): 215-226. Hughes T.P., Kerry J.T., and Álvarez-Noriega M., 2018, Global warming and recurrent mass bleaching of corals, Nature, 543(7645): 373-377. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature21707
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