Growth of Favia and Favites Coral Transplants Based on Polyps Number (Pertumbuhan Karang Transplan Genus Favia dan Favites Berdasarkan Jumlah Polip)

Budidaya karang melalui teknik transplantasi merupakan salah satu cara untuk menyelamatkan keberadaan karang terumbu di alam. Selain untuk diperdagangkan, karang hasil transplantasi juga dapat ditanam untuk memperbaiki terumbu karang yang rusak. Penelitian ini menggunakan ukuran dan bentuk polip Favia dan Favites sebagai dasar penentuan ukuran benih untuk mengurangi kerusakan koloni donor. Penelitian bertujuan untuk mengetahui pertumbuhan transplan Favia dan Favites. Penelitian dilakukan secara eksperimental dengan rancangan acak lengkap. Dua ukuran polip dipilih mewakili ukuran benih kecil dan besar, yaitu 2 cm dan 4 cm. Penanaman karang transplan dilakukan di Teluk Awur selama bulan April hingga November. Pengamatan dilakukan tiap 2 minggu sekali. Analisa data menggunakan ANCOVA. Analisa statistik menunjukkan pertumbuhan kedua ukuran transplan tidak berbeda nyata (P>0,05). Pertumbuhan transplan Favia dan Favites ditandai dengan munculnya tunas intratentakular. Pertumbuhan transplan tertinggi dicapai transplan Favites ukuran 4 cm dengan kecepatan tumbuh 0.596 cm2.bulan-1, sedangkan pertumbuhan terendah ditunjukkan oleh transplan Favites ukuran 2 cm dengan pertumbuhan 0.463 cm2.bulan-1. Kata kunci: pertumbuhan karang, transplantasi, Favia, Favites, jumlah polip Cultivation coral by using transplantation method is one attempt to alleviatecorals collection in nature. In addition to be traded, the corals can be transplanted to repair damaged coral reefs. This study utilized size and polyps form of coral Favia and Favites to be transplanted to minimize damage of coral donors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the growth of Favia and Favites transplants. The research was carried out by experimental method using a completely randomized design. Two different size of polyps i.e 2 polypsrepresented small size and 4 polyps represented large size were applied for each coral species. Research was conducted from April–November at Teluk Awur Bay, Jepara. The samples were observed every two weeks. Collected data wereanalyzed by repeated measurement ANCOVA. Statistical analysis showed that the growth of transplants did not show significant differences (P>0.05) between each genus and between 2 and 4 polyps. The growth of transplants have shown by extratentacular budding on Favia and intratentacular budding on Favites. The highest growth rate of transplants was shown by 4 polyps of Favites at 0.596 cm2.mo-1 and the lowest by 2 polyps of Favites at 0.463 cm2.mo-1,respectively. Keywords: Coral Growth, Transplantation, Favia, Favites, Number of Polyp