Growth, reproduction and recruitment of Silvetia siliquosa (Fucales, Phaeophyceae) transplants using polyethylene rope and natural rock methods

Silvetia siliquosa is an ecologically and commercially important brown alga that is harvested from its natural habitats, but its population has recently been diminishing along the Korean coast. To develop new techniques for algal population restoration, we tested two newly developed transplantation methods (using polyethylene ropes and natural rock pieces) at two study sites, Gwanmaedo and Yeongsando, on the southwest coast of Korea, from May to November 2014. The transplants on polyethylene ropes showed significantly greater survival, maturity, and growth than those on natural rocks at both study sites. Newly recruited juveniles (<3 cm) of S. siliquosa increased remarkably from May to December near the transplants on polyethylene ropes and natural rocks. Therefore, we suggest that transplantation using polyethylene ropes is more effective than using natural rocks to restore the population of S. siliquosa in Korea.