Abstract Summary
The impacts of hurricanes and tropical storms on coral reef organisms have been well documented. Impacts of storms on reefs have ranged from minor to devastating, with extreme cases resulting in the destruction of the reef framework. Taxa with shallow distributions and branching morphologies like the Caribbean Acropora palmata and A.cervicornis have been shown to be especially susceptible to strong storms and experience severe fragmentation. Coral reef restoration, using both sexually and asexually produced corals, has undergone a dramatic increase in both the number of projects and the number of corals being propagated and outplanted in recent years. Presently, programs around the Caribbean outplant tens of thousands of coral colonies grown in in situ and ex situ nurseries on a yearly basis. Here, we document the impacts of three major storms, Hurricane Matthew (Sept 28-Oct 10, 2016; max sustained winds = 165 mph), Hurricane Irma (Aug 30-Sept 12, 2017; max sustained winds = 180 mph), Hurricane Maria (Sept 17-Sept 25, 2017); max sustained winds = 175 mph) on reef restoration programs found along the path of these destructive storms. The data evaluated include impacts on different coral species, nursery types, and outplanted corals. The impacts on outplanted coral were also compared to impacts on wild colonies found in the same habitats. The goal of this collaborative effort was not only to document impacts of the storms on restoration resources and corals, but also to highlight the lessons learned from these disturbances and suggest ways in which restoration programs prepare better and mitigate the impacts of storms in the future.
