Fine-scale time series surveys reveal new insights into spatio-temporal trends in coral cover (2002–2018), of a coral reef on the Southern Great Barrier Reef

Understanding the dynamics of habitat-forming organisms is fundamental to managing natural ecosystems. Most studies of coral reef dynamics have focused on clear-water systems though corals inhabit many turbid regions. Here, we illustrate the key drivers of an inshore coral reef ecosystem using 10 years of biological, environmental, and disturbance data. Tropical cyclones, crown-of-thorns starfish, and coral bleaching are recognized as the major drivers of coral loss at mid- and offshore reefs along the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). In comparison, little is known about what drives temporal trends at inshore reefs closer to major anthropogenic stress. We assessed coral cover dynamics using state-space models within six major inshore GBR catchments. An overall decline was detected in nearly half (46%) of the 15 reefs at two depths (30 sites), while the rest exhibited fluctuating (23%), static (17%), or positive (13%) trends. Inshore reefs responded similarly to their offshore counterparts, where contemporary trends were predominantly influenced by acute disturbance events. Storms emerged as the major driver affecting the inshore GBR, with the effects of other drivers such as disease, juvenile coral density, and macroalgal and turf per cent cover varying from one catchment to another. Flooding was also associated with negative trends in live coral cover in two southern catchments, but the mechanism remains unclear as it is not reflected in available metrics of water quality and may act through indirect pathways.

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Management of Water Quality in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1989.0024 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 31-38 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Simon Woodley

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Coral Reef ◽

Great Barrier Reef ◽

Barrier Reef ◽

Management Issue ◽

Reef System ◽

Marine Park ◽

World Heritage List ◽

The World ◽

Coral Reef System

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world. It is recognised and appreciated worldwide as a unique environment and for this reason has been inscribed on the World Heritage List. The Reef is economically-important to Queensland and Australia, supporting substantial tourism and fishing industries. Management of the Great Barrier Reef to ensure conservation of its natural qualities in perpetuity is achieved through the establishment of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The maintenance of water quality to protect the reef and the industries which depend on it is becoming an increasingly important management issue requiring better knowledge and possibly new standards of treatment and discharge.

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Spatio-temporal persistence of scleractinian coral species at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef

Coral Reefs ◽

10.1007/s00338-021-02144-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zoe T. Richards ◽

David J. Juszkiewicz ◽

Anne Hoggett

Keyword(s):

Great Barrier Reef ◽

Scleractinian Coral ◽

Coral Species ◽

Barrier Reef ◽

Lizard Island ◽

Temporal Persistence ◽

Spatio Temporal

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Significance of pelagic bacteria as a trophic resource in a coral reef lagoon, One Tree Island, Great Barrier Reef

Marine Biology ◽

10.1007/bf00392505 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 92 (4) ◽

pp. 457-464 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

E. A. S. Linley ◽

K. Koop

Keyword(s):

Coral Reef ◽

Great Barrier Reef ◽

Barrier Reef ◽

Tree Island ◽

Reef Lagoon ◽

Trophic Resource ◽

Coral Reef Lagoon

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Spatio-temporal patterns in the postglacial flooding of the Great Barrier Reef shelf, Australia

Continental Shelf Research ◽

10.1016/j.csr.2018.12.001 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 173 ◽

pp. 13-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Gustavo Hinestrosa ◽

Jody M. Webster ◽

Robin J. Beaman

Keyword(s):

Great Barrier Reef ◽

Temporal Patterns ◽

Barrier Reef ◽

Spatio Temporal

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Potential for rapid genetic adaptation to warming in a Great Barrier Reef coral

10.1101/114173 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Mikhail V. Matz ◽

Eric A. Treml ◽

Galina V. Aglyamova ◽

Madeleine J. H. van Oppen ◽

Line K. Bay

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Great Barrier Reef ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Reef Coral ◽

Biophysical Model ◽

Detectable Effect ◽

Genetic Adaptation ◽

Barrier Reef ◽

Biophysical Modeling ◽

Adaptive Genetic Variation

AbstractCan genetic adaptation in reef-building corals keep pace with the current rate of sea surface warming? Here we combine population genomic, biophysical modeling, and evolutionary simulations to predict future adaptation of the common coralAcropora milleporaon the Great Barrier Reef. Loss of coral cover in recent decades did not yet have detectable effect on genetic diversity in our species. Genomic analysis of migration patterns closely matched the biophysical model of larval dispersal in favoring the spread of existing heat-tolerant alleles from lower to higher latitudes. Given these conditions we find that standing genetic variation could be sufficient to fuel rapid adaptation ofA. milleporato warming for the next 100-200 years, although random thermal anomalies would drive increasingly severe mortality episodes. However, this adaptation will inevitably cease unless the warming is slowed down, since no realistic mutation rate could replenish adaptive genetic variation fast enough.

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Remote Sensing of Mangroves and Estuarine Communities in Central Queensland, Australia

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12010197 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 197

Author(s):

Debbie Chamberlain ◽

Stuart Phinn ◽

Hugh Possingham

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Time Series ◽

Land Cover ◽

Great Barrier Reef ◽

National Park ◽

Landsat 8 ◽

Barrier Reef ◽

Change Analysis ◽

Estuarine Wetland ◽

Open Forest

Great Barrier Reef catchments are under pressure from the effects of climate change, landscape modifications, and hydrology alterations. With the use of remote sensing datasets covering large areas, conventional methods of change detection can expose broad transitions, whereas workflows that excerpt data for time-series trends divulge more subtle transformations of land cover modification. Here, we combine both these approaches to investigate change and trends in a large estuarine region of Central Queensland, Australia, that encompasses a national park and is adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage site. Nine information classes were compiled in a maximum likelihood post classification change analysis in 2004–2017. Mangroves decreased (1146 hectares), as was the case with estuarine wetland (1495 hectares), and saltmarsh grass (1546 hectares). The overall classification accuracies and Kappa coefficient for 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013, 2015, and 2017 land cover maps were 85%, 88%, 88%, 89%, 81%, and 92%, respectively. The cumulative area of open forest, estuarine wetland, and saltmarsh grass (1628 hectares) was converted to pasture in a thematic change analysis showing the “from–to” change. We generated linear regression relationships to examine trends in pixel values across the time series. Our findings from a trend analysis showed a decreasing trend (p value range = 0.001–0.099) in the vegetation extent of open forest, fringing mangroves, estuarine wetlands, saltmarsh grass, and grazing areas, but this was inconsistent across the study site. Similar to reports from tropical regions elsewhere, saltmarsh grass is poorly represented in the national park. A severe tropical cyclone preceding the capture of the 2017 Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) image was likely the main driver for reduced areas of shoreline and stream vegetation. Our research contributes to the body of knowledge on coastal ecosystem dynamics to enable planning to achieve more effective conservation outcomes.

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Long-term shifts in the colony size structure of coral populations along the Great Barrier Reef

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2020.1432 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 287 (1936) ◽

pp. 20201432

Author(s):

Andreas Dietzel ◽

Michael Bode ◽

Sean R. Connolly ◽

Terry P. Hughes

Keyword(s):

Great Barrier Reef ◽

Colony Size ◽

Size Structure ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Reproductive Capacity ◽

Barrier Reef ◽

Size Frequency Distribution ◽

Coral Colony ◽

Recovery Potential

The age or size structure of a population has a marked influence on its demography and reproductive capacity. While declines in coral cover are well documented, concomitant shifts in the size-frequency distribution of coral colonies are rarely measured at large spatial scales. Here, we document major shifts in the colony size structure of coral populations along the 2300 km length of the Great Barrier Reef relative to historical baselines (1995/1996). Coral colony abundances on reef crests and slopes have declined sharply across all colony size classes and in all coral taxa compared to historical baselines. Declines were particularly pronounced in the northern and central regions of the Great Barrier Reef, following mass coral bleaching in 2016 and 2017. The relative abundances of large colonies remained relatively stable, but this apparent stability masks steep declines in absolute abundance. The potential for recovery of older fecund corals is uncertain given the increasing frequency and intensity of disturbance events. The systematic decline in smaller colonies across regions, habitats and taxa, suggests that a decline in recruitment has further eroded the recovery potential and resilience of coral populations.

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