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Reef Cloverson / Coral science

Articles

Explore the research behind coral biology and aquaculture, with clear explanations of each study’s findings, methods, and limits.

Reef Cloverson research summary: a 2026 four-aquarium study found 43% higher calcification and 52% higher planar tissue growth only in 5 mm brain-coral microfragments within a local high-pH layer; two tanks represented each system condition.

Sep 24, 2026 · 6 min read

Can a thin high-pH layer speed coral growth?

A 2026 University of Miami–NOAA aquarium study found faster calcification and tissue spread only in 5 mm brain-coral microfragments kept within a...

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Research summary: six aquaria tested resident damselfish effects on 72 Pocillopora fragments over 21 days. Wound closure was 38% faster for small wounds and 55% faster for large wounds; only three tanks represented each fish condition.

Sep 24, 2026 · 6 min read

Can resident fish help wounded corals heal?

A six-aquarium experiment found that resident damselfish increased wound-healing rates in Pocillopora, especially for larger injuries, but only three tanks represented each...

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Research summary: 32 Porites colonies produced 128 fragments in eight mesocosms. After fish-feces exposure, tissue recovery was 29.22% at 30°C versus 49.23% at 26°C; only two tanks represented each treatment combination.

Sep 24, 2026 · 5 min read

Does heat slow coral recovery after fish feces?

A 2021 eight-mesocosm experiment found that warm water reduced tissue closure after surgeonfish-feces exposure and altered microbial responses, but only two tanks...

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Research summary: 2 Acropora sets were tested at 0, 5, 10 and 30 cm/s for 24 hours. No flow produced much higher TEP release and bacterial growth; one flume and two reused coral sets limit inference.

Sep 24, 2026 · 5 min read

Does still water change what Acropora releases?

A 2024 flume experiment found that stagnant water produced much larger transparent-particle release and bacterial growth than flowing conditions, but only two...

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Research summary: 28 tanks compared seven coral-nursery husbandry regimes for 112 days. Some small grazers matched manual care with less cleaning, but outcomes varied by coral and grazer species and did not isolate grazer size, density or identity.

Sep 24, 2026 · 5 min read

Can small grazers replace hand-cleaning in coral culture?

A 28-tank coral-aquaculture experiment tested whether small invertebrate grazers can control fouling while preserving young-coral survival and growth.

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Research summary: two coral species received six prophylactic baths and were followed for 60 days. No consistent microbiome shift appeared, but Lugol’s-treated Acropora palmata grew less; one holding tank per species limits inference.

Sep 24, 2026 · 5 min read

Do prophylactic coral dips affect healthy corals?

A controlled Mote Marine Laboratory study found no consistent microbiome shift after two common prophylactic coral dips, but Lugol’s-treated elkhorn coral grew...

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Research summary graphic: 28 soft-coral colonies were surveyed and 10 were heat-tested in three tanks. Coral genus, not dominant symbiont genus, tracked final heat scores; one control tank limits inference.

Sep 19, 2026 · 4 min read

Can dominant symbionts predict heat tolerance?

A 2026 U.S. aquarium study found that coral genus, not dominant Symbiodiniaceae genus, tracked short-term heat scores—but one control tank limits causal...

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Research summary: fragment size and light effects varied among seven coral species; tank replication and unresolved genotype effects limit the result.

Sep 17, 2026 · 3 min read

Do smaller coral fragments always grow faster?

A 2026 land-based nursery study tracked 1,540 coral ramets and found that faster fragment growth did not translate into one universal best...

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Research summary: Great Barrier Reef seawater microbes classified reef zoning with 74.6% accuracy, but the association does not prove fishing caused the differences.

Sep 17, 2026 · 3 min read

Can reef microbes reveal where fishing is allowed?

A 2026 genome survey across 48 Great Barrier Reef sites found that seawater microbial profiles carried a measurable—but not causal or universal—signal...

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Acropora feeding experiment: four treatments, three tanks per treatment, 93 days. Findings and limitations from Conlan et al. (2017).

Sep 13, 2026 · 1 min read

What helps young Acropora grow?

Four feeding treatments, a result for each, and the limits of what the experiment can tell us—a visual guide to coral nutrition.

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