Coral growth and morphology based on snail presence from experiments in Moorea, French Polynesia from May, 2013 through May, 2014

Abstract

12 corals were selected with Coralliophila violacea. A random snail was selected, and a similar location identified on the coral for comparison. At each location, a 20cm by 20cm plexiglass plate was placed against the coral, and 20 randomly selected depth measurements taken. The variance of those measurements is reported. A nail was then hammered into the coral at each location, and the length recorded. After 1 year, the corals were revisited, and the measurements repeated to calculate change in nail length (coral linear extension) and change in morphology (change in variance of depth measurements).

For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/777273