Site-Dependent Differences in Artificial Reef Function: Implications for Coral Reef Restoration

There is an increasing use of artificial structure in coral reef restoration (for references, see Spieler et al., this volume). Often artificial reef structures are chosen for a restoration project simply because they were used elsewhere. However, it is questionable whether the results obtained at one restoration site can be extrapolated to another. In recent years, several studies have examined the effect of artificial reef site selection on formation of associated fish, algae, and/or invertebrate assemblages (Alevizon et al., 1985; Blinova et al., 1994; Bombace et al., 1994; Caley and St. John, 1996; Chang, 1985; Haughton and Aiken, 1989; Hixon and Beets, 1989; Jara and Cespedes, 1994; Kruer and Causey, 1992; Lozano-Alvarez et al., 1994; Moffitt et al., 1989; Relini et al., 1994; Sherman et al., 2000; Sherman et al., 1999; Sogard, 1989; Spieler, 1998; Tomascik, 1991). Although not designed specifically as coral reef restoration projects, the results of these studies lend insight into the problems of restoration. This paper is an overview of recent literature on site selection intended for resource managers interested in using artificial reefs in coral reef restoration. To that end, we re-examined the data from several studies comparing similar artificial reef structures at different sites.