Defense Date

7-31-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science

Degree Name

Marine Science

First Advisor

Brian K. Walker, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Jason Spadaro, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Joseph Unsworth

Keywords

Orbicella faveolata, Nursery, Florida, Coral Reef, Ex-Situ, In-Situ, Genotype, Restoration, Growth, Survival

Abstract

Landscape-scale coral reef restoration is constrained by the context-dependent responses of corals to environmental and ecological conditions throughout a region, and identifying factors affecting the growth and survival of key reef-building species is essential for maximizing restoration success. In collaboration with Nova Southeastern University (NSU), the University of Miami (UM), and Mote Marine Laboratory, this study evaluated the relative effects of intrinsic factors (putative genotype and source colony location) and extrinsic factors (ex-situ nursery system characteristics, in-situ nursery location, nursery type (ex-situ vs. in-situ), and environmental conditions) on Orbicella faveolata tissue regeneration and survival following fragmentation. Corals collected from the Kristin Jacobs Coral Aquatic Preserve (KJCAP) and the Lower Florida Keys were reared across five ex-situ nursery systems and five corresponding in-situ nursery locations distributed throughout the Florida Reef Tract. Results found that ex-situ nursery facility significantly influenced fragment growth and survival, with Mote: Islamorada and Mote: Key Largo exhibiting the highest survivorship (100% at both facilities) and mean daily growth rates (0.99 to 1.11 mm2/day), Mote: Summerland exhibiting intermediate survivorship (45%) and mean daily growth rates (-0.46 mm2/day), and NSU and UM experienced substantially reduced survivorship (0% and 76%, respectively) and negative mean daily growth rates (-2.88 to -0.86 mm2/day). Similarly, the location of the in-situ nurseries significantly affected fragment growth and survival, with Islamorada and Key Largo exhibiting the highest survivorship (100% and 98.9%, respectively) and mean daily growth rates (0.84 to 1.24 mm2/day), while Fort Lauderdale exhibited the lowest survivorship (84.7%) and negative mean daily growth rates (-0.21 mm2/day). Across all institutions, fragments reared in in-situ nurseries exhibited significantly greater survivorship (95.0%) than fragments maintained in ex-situ systems (66.8%) and higher mean daily growth rates (0.52 ± 0.12 mm2/day vs. -0.47 ± 0.13 mm2/day, respectively). However, site-specific conditions explained more variation than nursery type alone, suggesting that localized environmental and operational factors strongly influence restoration outcomes. Supporting these biological patterns, water quality differed significantly among ex-situ nursery systems, with substantial variation in salinity, pH, calcium, alkalinity, phosphate, nitrate, and temperature. Mean in-situ temperature also varied significantly among nursery locations with Summerland Key experiencing the highest overall mean temperature across all monitoring periods. Specifically, ex-situ facilities supplied with natural seawater and managed under the Mote Marine Laboratory nursery systems in Islamorada and Key Largo consistently outperformed the other locations, whereas putative genotype and source colony location explained little variation in fragment performance. These findings contribute to the development of standardized workflows and infrastructure needed to scale coral restoration efforts to support the resilience and recovery of Florida’s Coral Reef.

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