One Rational Strategy for Restoration of Coral Reefs: Application of Molecular Biological Tools to Select Sites for Rehabilitation by Asexual Recruits

Experiments for reef rehabilitation were performed at two selected sites near Hurghada (Red Sea, Egypt) the reef close to the Marine Biological Station (with a high sedimentation rate from landfilling) and El-Fanadir Reef (a clear water site). Since only little is known about the influence of the physical environmental conditions, novel molecular biological approaches have been introduced to assess the metabolic status of corals. In order to avoid possible interference with symbionts the molecular studies have been performed with the octocoral Dendronephthya klunzingeri; this species does not contain zooxanthellae. The metabolic enzymes fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and the succinat-dehydroge…