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Datasets / Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN)

Microherbivore grazing experiment (RRAP CAD_02.2)

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These data were collected for an RRAP CAD2-2 experiment looking at the effects of microherbivore grazing on captive coral recruit grow-out. Coral recruits of six species (Acropora millepora, Acropora kenti (formally A. tenuis, referred to as such in the data), Goniastrea retiformis, Porites lobata, Dispastrea speciosa and Lobophyllia corymbosa*) were grown under one of seven treatments: an un-grazed control (Control), manual cleaning of algae around corals by an aquarist (Aquarist), culture with 30 juvenile Tripneustes gratilla sea urchins (Tripneustes), 30 juvenile Echinometra mathaei sea urchins (Echinometra), 30 Calthalotia strigata gastropods (Calthalotia), 30 Turbo haynesi gastropods (Turbo) or 15 Clibanarius cf. taeniatus hermit crabs (Clibanarius), for 112 days, with four replicate 50L tanks per treatment. Tanks walls and the floor around the coral tray (and the tray itself in the aquarist treatment) were cleaned twice weekly, with the time taken to clean each tank recorded to the nearest minute.

High resolution photographs where taken of corals and the substrate every two weeks. From these photos, survival was assessed on a fortnightly basis, and growth of the corals from day 0 to day 112 measured by calculating the change in benthic surface area of each recruit using ImageJ software. Composition of algae assemblages on the tiles was assessed at day 0, 56 and 112 using seven coral-free surfaces in each tank. Composition was assessed using CoralCPE software, which applied 20 random points to each coral-free surface, which could then be categorised into different substrate classes (turf, crustose coralline algae, bare tile etc) to assess approximate proportional coverage of these different classes. At the end of the 112 days, counts and size measurements of remaining microherbivores were also taken.

*Note: due to low settlement of Lobophyllia corymbosa, this coral was only included in the Control, Tripneustes and Calthalotia treatment.

Data and resources

Additional information

Date (revision)2026-10-24
Statuscompleted
Update frequencynotPlanned
Metadata languageen
LicenseCreative Commons Attribution 4.0
Source metadataISO 19115 XML
Last updated2026-11-05
Created2026-11-05
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