Editing Artificial reef (section)

===Artificial reef communities===
[[File:Sarcastic fringehead in plastic tube.JPG|thumb|Human-created objects provide hiding places for marine life, like this [[Sarcastic fringehead]]|alt=]]
On artificial reef structures intended for ecosystem enhancement, reef communities tend to develop in more or less predictable stages. First, where an ocean current encounters a vertical structure, it can create a [[plankton]]-rich upwelling that provides a reliable feeding spot for small fish such as [[sardine]]s and [[minnow]]s, which draw in [[pelagic]] [[predator]]s such as [[tuna]] and [[sharks]]. Next come creatures seeking protection from the ocean's lethal openness—hole and crevice dwellers such as [[grouper]], [[Lutjanidae|snapper]], [[squirrelfish]], [[eel]]s and [[triggerfish]]. Opportunistic predators such as [[Carangidae|jack]] and [[barracuda]] also appear. Over months and years the reef structure becomes encrusted with [[algae]], [[tunicates]], hard and soft [[coral]]s and [[sponge]]s.<ref name=ng211/>

[[File:Manta ray Biorock reef.jpg|thumb|right|alt=|A newly constructed [[electrified reef]] set up by [[Gili Eco Trust]] in [[Indonesia]].]]
An [[electrified reef]] is an artificial reef where a small low voltage electric charge is applied to a sub-sea metallic structures that causes [[limestone]] to precipitate onto a metal frame onto which [[planula|coral planulae]] can then attach and grow; the process also speeds up post-attachment growth.<ref name=GCRA>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalcoral.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/BIOROCK_TECHNOLOGY_july1114.pdf |publisher=Global Coral Reef Alliance |title=Biorock Benefits |date=July 2014 |access-date=5 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="Goldberg">{{cite news |last1=Goldberg |first1=Lee |title=Artificial Reefs Built from Sun and Seawater Will Protect the Isle of Man |url=https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/power/whitepaper/21243917/electronic-design-artificial-reefs-built-from-sun-and-seawater-will-protect-the-isle-of-man |work=Electronic Design |date=9 June 2022}}</ref>

3D printing technology has been employed both to create molds to optimize the environment for target species,<ref name="Ramos">{{cite book |last1=Ramos |first1=Jorge H. P. |title=Impact of Artificial Reefs on the Environment and Communities |date= 2022 |publisher=IGI Global |isbn=978-1-6684-2346-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0V1wEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA210 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="3Dreef">{{cite news |title=3D printing technology to aid coral growth in Maldives |url=https://maldivesindependent.com/environment/3d-printing-technology-to-aid-coral-growth-in-maldives-140073 |access-date=16 June 2023 |work=Maldives Independent |date=12 August 2018}}</ref> and to directly create cast ceramic and concrete artificial reefs. Work has also been done to develop environmentally friendly materials.<ref name="Koslow">{{cite news |last1=Koslow |first1=Tyler |title=3D Printing Used to Revive the Coral Reefs of Monaco |url=https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/3d-printing-used-to-revive-the-coral-reefs-ocean-eco-system-of-monaco-60807/ |work=3D Printing Industry |date=26 October 2015}}</ref> For example, Archireef has designed 3D-printed terracotta Reef Tiles, which are nontoxic, biodegradable, and have a pH-level that is compatible with coral. The tiles are small enough to be handled and installed by a diver. An installation in Hong Kong reported a 95 percent coral survival rate after three years, more than four times the survival rate of more traditional restoration methods.<ref name="Boyani">{{cite news |last1=Boyani |first1=Sally |title=These artificial reefs are combating coral degradation |url=https://wired.me/technology/artificial-reefs-coral-degradation/ |work=WIRED Middle East |date=11 September 2023}}</ref>

Restoration and mitigation actions on artificial reefs can include activities such as coral transplantation, larval resettlement, and gardening.<ref name="Bracho-Villavicencio">{{cite journal |last1=Bracho-Villavicencio |first1=Carolina |last2=Matthews-Cascon |first2=Helena |last3=Rossi |first3=Sergio |title=Artificial Reefs around the World: A Review of the State of the Art and a Meta-Analysis of Its Effectiveness for the Restoration of Marine Ecosystems |journal=Environments |date=July 2023 |volume=10 |issue=7 |pages=121 |doi=10.3390/environments10070121 |language=en |issn=2076-3298 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
For example, the [[Coral Restoration Foundation]] in the Florida Keys raises keystone species such as elkhorn ([[Acropora palmata]]) and staghorn ([[Acropora cervicornis]]) in coral tree nurseries and replants the corals onto degrading coral reefs.<ref name="Roberson">{{cite news |last1=Roberson |first1=Julia |title=Restoring Endangered Coral Reefs |url=https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2016/07/28/restoring-endangered-coral-reefs-2/ |work=Ocean Conservancy |date=July 28, 2016}}</ref> Application of such technologies to artificial reefs could help to restore marine ecosystems. A 2023 review article states: "The implementation of artificial reefs to restore marine ecosystems can be well done, investing resources in studies specifically aimed at determining the appropriate characteristics of ARs for each location."<ref name="Bracho-Villavicencio"/>