During the last 20 years, SAM has developed a multiplicity of hypothesis-driven conservation and restoration projects. Being home to the oldest Community-based coral aquaculture and reef rehabilitation program in the Caribbean, we aim to develop a variety of scientific publications that highlight our commitment towards the conservatiion of our marine resources. Most publications are freely available on our website.
Peer reviewed publications
Vardi, Tali; Hoot, Whitney C.; Levy, Jessica; Shaver, Elizabeth; Winters, R. Scott; Banaszak, Anastazia T.; Baums, Iliana B.; Chamberland, Valérie F.; Cook, Nathan; Gulko, David; Hein, Margaux Y.; Kaufman, Les; Loewe, Michelle; Lundgren, Petra; Lustic, Caitlin; MacGowan, Petra; Matz, Mikhail V.; McGonigle, Miles; McLeod, Ian; Moore, Jennifer; Moore, Tom; Pivard, Sandrine; Pollock, F. Joseph; Rinkevich, Baruch; Suggett, David J.; Suleiman, Samuel; Viehman, T. Shay; Villalobos, Tatiana; Weis, Virginia M.; Wolke, Chelsea; Montoya-Maya, Phanor H. Six priorities to advance the science and practice of coral reef restoration worldwide Journal Article In: Restoration Ecology, vol. 29, iss. 8, no. e13498, pp. 1-7, 2021, ISSN: 1061-2971. Toledo-Hernández, Carlos; Ruiz-Diaz, Claudia P.; Hernández-Delgado, Edwin A.; Suleimán-Ramos, Samuel E. Devastation of 15-year old Community-based Coral Farming and Reef-restoration Sites in Puerto Rico by Major Hurricanes Irma and María Journal Article In: Caribbean Naturalist, no. 53, pp. 1-6, 2018, ISBN: 2326-7119. Mercado-Molina, Alex E.; Rivera-Irizarry, Fabiola; Fonseca-Miranda, Jaime; Bruno-Laureano, Yesenia In: Marine Biology Research, vol. 14, iss. 1, pp. 41 - 51, 2018.2021
@article{Vardi2021,
title = {Six priorities to advance the science and practice of coral reef restoration worldwide},
author = {Tali Vardi and Whitney C. Hoot and Jessica Levy and Elizabeth Shaver and R. Scott Winters and Anastazia T. Banaszak and Iliana B. Baums and Valérie F. Chamberland and Nathan Cook and David Gulko and Margaux Y. Hein and Les Kaufman and Michelle Loewe and Petra Lundgren and Caitlin Lustic and Petra MacGowan and Mikhail V. Matz and Miles McGonigle and Ian McLeod and Jennifer Moore and Tom Moore and Sandrine Pivard and F. Joseph Pollock and Baruch Rinkevich and David J. Suggett and Samuel Suleiman and T. Shay Viehman and Tatiana Villalobos and Virginia M. Weis and Chelsea Wolke and Phanor H. Montoya-Maya},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/rec.13498
https://www.sampr.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Restoration-Ecology-2021-Vardi-Six-priorities-to-advance-the-science-and-practice-of-coral-reef-restoration-worldwide.pdf},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13498},
issn = {1061-2971},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-11-29},
urldate = {2021-11-29},
journal = {Restoration Ecology},
volume = {29},
number = {e13498},
issue = {8},
pages = {1-7},
abstract = {Coral reef restoration is a rapidly growing movement galvanized by the accelerating degradation of the world's tropical coral reefs. The need for concerted and collaborative action focused on the recovery of coral reef ecosystems coalesced in the creation of the Coral Restoration Consortium (CRC) in 2017. In March 2020, the CRC leadership team met for a biennial review of international coral reef restoration efforts and a discussion of perceived knowledge and implementation bottlenecks that may impair scalability and efficacy. Herein we present six priorities wherein the CRC will foster scientific advancement and collaboration to: (1) increase restoration efficiency, focusing on scale and cost-effectiveness of deployment; (2) scale up larval-based coral restoration efforts, emphasizing recruit health, growth, and survival; (3) ensure restoration of threatened coral species proceeds within a population-genetics management context; (4) support a holistic approach to coral reef ecosystem restoration; (5) develop and promote the use of standardized terms and metrics for coral reef restoration; and (6) support coral reef restoration practitioners working in diverse geographic locations. These priorities are not exhaustive nor do we imply that accomplishing these tasks alone will be sufficient to restore coral reefs globally; rather these are topics where we feel the CRC community of practice can make timely and significant contributions to facilitate the growth of coral reef restoration as a practical conservation strategy. The goal for these collective actions is to provide tangible, local-scale advancements in reef condition that offset declines resulting from local and global stressors including climate change.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2018
@article{Toledo-Hernández2018,
title = {Devastation of 15-year old Community-based Coral Farming and Reef-restoration Sites in Puerto Rico by Major Hurricanes Irma and María},
author = {Carlos Toledo-Hernández and Claudia P. Ruiz-Diaz and Edwin A. Hernández-Delgado and Samuel E. Suleimán-Ramos},
editor = {James D. Ackerman and Alfonso Aguilar-Perera and Wayne J. Arendt and Rüdiger Bieler},
url = {https://www.eaglehill.us/CANAonline/CANA-access-pages/CANA-regular/CANA-053-Toledo-Hernandez.shtml
https://www.sampr.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Devastation-of-15-year-old-Community-based-Coral-Farming-and-Reef-restoration-Sites-in-Puerto-Rico-by-Major-Hurricanes-Irma-and-Maria2018.pdf},
isbn = {2326-7119},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-12-12},
urldate = {2018-12-12},
journal = {Caribbean Naturalist},
number = {53},
pages = {1-6},
abstract = {Category-5 hurricanes Irma and María impacted the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017 with waves in excess of 10 m. Herein we provide the frst assessment of hurricane damage to community-based coral farming and reef restoration at several locations from Culebra Island, Puerto Rico. Hurricanes destroyed 75 coral farms, killing 11,074 Acropora cervicornis (Staghorn Coral) fragments. Likewise, over 9000 recently out-planted colonies as well as most of the coral species adjacent to the outplants perished when they were buried by sand and rubble or were dislodged as a result of hurricane-generated waves. Liagora spp. (marine red algae) and other red algae rapidly colonized coral rubble and openreef substrates, threatening surviving corals of multiple species at least for several weeks after hurricane impacts.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
@article{Mercado-Molina2018,
title = {Growth facilitation by the octocoral \textit{Gorgonia ventalina} explains spatial difference in the population size structure of the common demosponge \textit{Ircinia felix}},
author = {Alex E. Mercado-Molina and Fabiola Rivera-Irizarry and Jaime Fonseca-Miranda and Yesenia Bruno-Laureano},
editor = {Paco Cárdenas},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17451000.2017.1367098},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1080/17451000.2017.1367098},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-11-07},
urldate = {2018-11-07},
journal = {Marine Biology Research},
volume = {14},
issue = {1},
pages = {41 - 51},
abstract = {In this study, the demography of the common demosponge Ircinia felix was examined at Tamarindo, a coral reef located in the island municipality of Culebra, Puerto Rico. A preliminary study comparing the size structure of two subpopulations within the reef, Tamarindo Norte (TN) and Tamarindo Sur (TS), indicated that sponges at TN are significantly larger than sponges at TS. This result served as a baseline for the present comparative study in which we aimed to determine whether the spatial differences in population size structure can be explained either by a difference in rates of survival, growth, or recruitment, or a combination of these. To accomplish our goal, we followed the growth, survival and recruitment of I. felix at the two localities for one year. Growth was the only demographic parameter that differed significantly between localities. Because the most obvious distinction between the study sites was the absence of the octocoral Gorgonia ventalina at TS, we hypothesized that the faster overall growth rate of sponges at TN was related to the presence of the octocoral. To test this hypothesis, we compared growth rates between sponges associated with the octocoral and those individuals not associated. We found that sponges growing near G. ventalina grew significantly faster than non-associated sponges. This result suggests that the octocoral facilitates the growth of I. felix and therefore may account, at least in part, for the spatial differences in population size structure.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}