Active restoration of a long-lived octocoral drives rapid functional recovery in a temperate reef

Abstract

Whether restoration actions achieve full ecological recovery is still debated. This is particularly controversial in the marine realm, where the success of restoration is mostly evaluated in terms of the short-term survival of transplanted organisms. In view of this, we combined population and trait-based approaches to explore the long-term effectiveness of active restoration of a key Mediterranean octocoral. For this purpose, an assemblage with restored Corallium rubrum colonies was monitored over 10 years and compared with a nearby reference site. Our results revealed growth of the transplanted colonies followed by a change in the functional structure (i.e., dominance and diversity of traits) of the restored assemblage. This change was related not only to the development of the coral but also to the arrival and/or increase of species with different traits. Overall, our findings provide an example of how active restoration of long-lived octocorals can be an effective tool for recovering high-diverse coralligenous assemblages at decadal timescales.