Algal turf productivity on coral reefs: A meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 168 ◽  
pp. 105311
Author(s):  
Sterling B. Tebbett ◽  
David R. Bellwood
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Algal Turf

scholarly journals Coral species composition drives key ecosystem function on coral reefs

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1921) ◽  
pp. 20192214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura E. Richardson ◽  
Nicholas A. J. Graham ◽  
Andrew S. Hoey
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Algal Turf ◽  
Benthic Assemblages ◽  
Ecosystem Recovery ◽  
Visual Occlusion

Rapid and unprecedented ecological change threatens the functioning and stability of ecosystems. On coral reefs, global climate change and local stressors are reducing and reorganizing habitat-forming corals and associated species, with largely unknown implications for critical ecosystem functions such as herbivory. Herbivory mediates coral–algal competition, thereby facilitating ecosystem recovery following disturbance such as coral bleaching events or large storms. However, relationships between coral species composition, the distribution of herbivorous fishes and the delivery of their functional impact are not well understood. Here, we investigate how herbivorous fish assemblages and delivery of two distinct herbivory processes, grazing and browsing, differ among three taxonomically distinct, replicated coral habitats. While grazing on algal turf assemblages was insensitive to different coral configurations, browsing on the macroalga Laurencia cf. obtusa varied considerably among habitats, suggesting that different mechanisms may shape these processes. Variation in browsing among habitats was best predicted by the composition and structural complexity of benthic assemblages (in particular the cover and composition of corals, but not macroalgal cover), and was poorly reflected by visual estimates of browser biomass. Surprisingly, the lowest browsing rates were recorded in the most structurally complex habitat, with the greatest cover of coral (branching Porites habitat). While the mechanism for the variation in browsing is not clear, it may be related to scale-dependent effects of habitat structure on visual occlusion inhibiting foraging activity by browsing fishes, or the relative availability of alternate dietary resources. Our results suggest that maintained functionality may vary among distinct and emerging coral reef configurations due to ecological interactions between reef fishes and their environment determining habitat selection.

scholarly journals Global declines in coral reef calcium carbonate production under ocean acidification and warming

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. e2015265118
Author(s):  
Christopher E. Cornwall ◽  
Steeve Comeau ◽  
Niklas A. Kornder ◽  
Chris T. Perry ◽  
Ruben van Hooidonk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Calcium Carbonate ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Scale Effects ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Ocean Warming ◽  
Carbonate Production ◽  
Near Term

Ocean warming and acidification threaten the future growth of coral reefs. This is because the calcifying coral reef taxa that construct the calcium carbonate frameworks and cement the reef together are highly sensitive to ocean warming and acidification. However, the global-scale effects of ocean warming and acidification on rates of coral reef net carbonate production remain poorly constrained despite a wealth of studies assessing their effects on the calcification of individual organisms. Here, we present global estimates of projected future changes in coral reef net carbonate production under ocean warming and acidification. We apply a meta-analysis of responses of coral reef taxa calcification and bioerosion rates to predicted changes in coral cover driven by climate change to estimate the net carbonate production rates of 183 reefs worldwide by 2050 and 2100. We forecast mean global reef net carbonate production under representative concentration pathways (RCP) 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5 will decline by 76, 149, and 156%, respectively, by 2100. While 63% of reefs are projected to continue to accrete by 2100 under RCP2.6, 94% will be eroding by 2050 under RCP8.5, and no reefs will continue to accrete at rates matching projected sea level rise under RCP4.5 or 8.5 by 2100. Projected reduced coral cover due to bleaching events predominately drives these declines rather than the direct physiological impacts of ocean warming and acidification on calcification or bioerosion. Presently degraded reefs were also more sensitive in our analysis. These findings highlight the low likelihood that the world’s coral reefs will maintain their functional roles without near-term stabilization of atmospheric CO2 emissions.

Demographic dynamics of the smallest marine vertebrates fuel coral reef ecosystem functioning

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 364 (6446) ◽  
pp. 1189-1192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon J. Brandl ◽  
Luke Tornabene ◽  
Christopher H. R. Goatley ◽  
Jordan M. Casey ◽  
Renato A. Morais ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Fish Larvae ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Pelagic Zone ◽  
Fish Biomass ◽  
Demographic Dynamics ◽  
Pelagic Environment

How coral reefs survive as oases of life in low-productivity oceans has puzzled scientists for centuries. The answer may lie in internal nutrient cycling and/or input from the pelagic zone. Integrating meta-analysis, field data, and population modeling, we show that the ocean’s smallest vertebrates, cryptobenthic reef fishes, promote internal reef fish biomass production through extensive larval supply from the pelagic environment. Specifically, cryptobenthics account for two-thirds of reef fish larvae in the near-reef pelagic zone despite limited adult reproductive outputs. This overwhelming abundance of cryptobenthic larvae fuels reef trophodynamics via rapid growth and extreme mortality, producing almost 60% of consumed reef fish biomass. Although cryptobenthics are often overlooked, their distinctive demographic dynamics may make them a cornerstone of ecosystem functioning on modern coral reefs.

Transformation of algal turf by echinoids and scarid fishes on French Polynesian coral reefs

Coral Reefs ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mireille L. Harmelin-Vivien ◽  
Mireille Peyrot-Clausade ◽  
Jean-Claude Romano
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Algal Turf

scholarly journals The recreational value of coral reefs: A meta-analysis

2007 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke M. Brander ◽  
Pieter Van Beukering ◽  
Herman S.J. Cesar
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Recreational Value

scholarly journals Global patterns and impacts of El Niño events on coral reefs: A meta-analysis

PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. e0190957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle C. Claar ◽  
Lisa Szostek ◽  
Jamie M. McDevitt-Irwin ◽  
Julian J. Schanze ◽  
Julia K. Baum
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
El Niño Events ◽  
Global Patterns ◽  
El Nino Events

scholarly journals Algal turf sediments on coral reefs: what's known and what's next

2019 ◽  
Vol 149 ◽  
pp. 110542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sterling B. Tebbett ◽  
David R. Bellwood
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Algal Turf

Farming damselfishes shape algal turf sediment dynamics on coral reefs

2020 ◽  
Vol 160 ◽  
pp. 104988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sterling B. Tebbett ◽  
Tory J. Chase ◽  
David R. Bellwood
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Sediment Dynamics ◽  
Algal Turf

scholarly journals Missing the Reef for the Corals: Unexpected Trends Between Coral Reef Condition and the Environment at the Ecosystem Scale

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric J. Hochberg ◽  
Michelle M. Gierach
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Current Understanding ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Public Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Reef Condition

It is incontrovertible that many coral reefs are in various stages of decline and may be unable to withstand the effects of global climate change, jeopardizing vital ecosystem goods and services to hundreds of millions of people around the world. An estimated 50% of the world's corals have already been lost, and those remaining may be lost by 2030 under the “business as usual” CO2 emissions scenario. However, the foundation of these predictions is a surprisingly sparse dataset, wherein ~0.01–0.1% of the world's reef area has been quantitatively surveyed. Further, the available data comprise observations at the 1–10 m scale, which are not evenly spaced across reefs, but often clustered in areas representing focused survey effort. This impedes modeling and predicting the impact of a changing environment at the ecosystem scale. Here we highlight deficiencies in our current understanding of the relationship between coral reefs and their environments. Specifically, we conduct a meta-analysis using estimates of coral cover from a variety of local surveys, quantitatively relating reef condition to a suite of biogeophysical forcing parameters. We find that readily available public data for coral cover exhibit unexpected trends (e.g., a positive correlation between coral cover and multi-year cumulative thermal stress), contrary to prevailing scientific expectations. We illustrate a significant gap in our current understanding, and thereby prediction, of coral reefs at the ecosystem scale that can only be remedied with uniform, high-density data across vast coral reef regions, such as that from remote sensing.

scholarly journals EVALUATING THE CAPACITY OF NATURAL AND NATURE-BASED FEATURES TO REDUCE COASTAL STORM HAZARDS

2018 ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Bret Webb ◽  
Steven Scyphers ◽  
Just Cebrian ◽  
Rachel Gittman ◽  
Shailesh Sharma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Storm Surge ◽  
Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Barrier Islands ◽  
Wave Action ◽  
Coastal Hazards

This presentation and paper describes the capacity of natural and nature-based features (NNBF) to reduce coastal storm hazards. Through a synthesis of existing literature and studies, as well as meta-analysis and traditional data analysis where possible, the salient characteristics and capabilities of NNBF at reducing storm surge, wave action, and erosion are characterized. The research specifically focuses on the capacity of aquatic vegetation, oyster and coral reefs, beaches, dunes, maritime forests, and barrier islands to reduce and/or mitigate these coastal hazards.

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