scholarly journals A possible link between coral reef success, crustose coralline algae and the evolution of herbivory

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Teichert ◽  
Manuel Steinbauer ◽  
Wolfgang Kiessling
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Crustose Coralline Algae ◽  
Coralline Red Algae ◽  
Potential Capacity ◽  
Morphological Adaptations ◽  
Geological Past ◽  
Tropical Coral ◽  
Negative Effect

Abstract Crustose coralline red algae (CCA) play a key role in the consolidation of many modern tropical coral reefs. It is unclear, however, if their function as reef consolidators was equally pronounced in the geological past. Using a comprehensive database on ancient reefs, we show a strong correlation between the presence of CCA and the formation of true coral reefs throughout the last 150 Ma. We investigated if repeated breakdowns in the potential capacity of CCA to spur reef development were associated with sea level, ocean temperature, CO2 concentration, CCA species diversity, and/or the evolution of major herbivore groups. Model results show that the correlation between the occurrence of CCA and the development of true coral reefs increased with CCA diversity and cooler ocean temperatures while the diversification of herbivores had a transient negative effect. The evolution of novel herbivore groups compromised the interaction between CCA and true reef growth at least three times in the investigated time interval. These crises have been overcome by morphological adaptations of CCA.

scholarly journals Associations between Benthic Cover and Habitat Complexity Metrics Obtained from 3D Reconstruction of Coral Reefs at Different Resolutions

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atsuko Fukunaga ◽  
John H. R. Burns ◽  
Kailey H. Pascoe ◽  
Randall K. Kosaki
Keyword(s):  
Fractal Dimension ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Habitat Structure ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
Crustose Coralline Algae ◽  
Surface Areas ◽  
Abundance And Diversity

Quantifying the three-dimensional (3D) habitat structure of coral reefs is an important aspect of coral reef monitoring, as habitat architecture affects the abundance and diversity of reef organisms. Here, we used photogrammetric techniques to generate 3D reconstructions of coral reefs and examined relationships between benthic cover and various habitat metrics obtained at six different resolutions of raster cells, ranging from 1 to 32 cm. For metrics of 3D structural complexity, fractal dimension, which utilizes information on 3D surface areas obtained at different resolutions, and vector ruggedness measure (VRM) obtained at 1-, 2- or 4-cm resolution correlated well with benthic cover, with a relatively large amount of variability in these metrics being explained by the proportions of corals and crustose coralline algae. Curvature measures were, on the other hand, correlated with branching and mounding coral cover when obtained at 1-cm resolution, but the amount of variability explained by benthic cover was generally very low when obtained at all other resolutions. These results show that either fractal dimension or VRM obtained at 1-, 2- or 4-cm resolution, along with curvature obtained at 1-cm resolution, can effectively capture the 3D habitat structure provided by specific benthic organisms.

scholarly journals The hidden army: corallivorous crown-of-thorns seastars can spend years as herbivorous juveniles

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 20190849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dione J. Deaker ◽  
Antonio Agüera ◽  
Huang-An Lin ◽  
Corinne Lawson ◽  
Claire Budden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Exponential Growth ◽  
Black Box ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
Crustose Coralline Algae ◽  
Major Threat ◽  
Asymptotic Size ◽  
The Impact

Crown-of-thorns seastar (COTS) outbreaks are a major threat to coral reefs. Although the herbivorous juveniles and their switch to corallivory are key to seeding outbreaks, they remain a black box in our understanding of COTS. We investigated the impact of a delay in diet transition due to coral scarcity in cohorts reared on crustose coralline algae for 10 months and 6.5 years before being offered coral. Both cohorts achieved an asymptotic size (16–18 mm diameter) on algae and had similar exponential growth on coral. After 6.5 years of herbivory, COTS were competent coral predators. This trophic and growth plasticity results in a marked age–size disconnect adding unappreciated complexity to COTS boom–bust dynamics. The potential that herbivorous juveniles accumulate in the reef infrastructure to seed outbreaks when favourable conditions arise has implications for management of COTS populations.

scholarly journals Crustose coralline algae increased framework and diversity on ancient coral reefs

PLoS ONE ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. e0181637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Weiss ◽  
Rowan C. Martindale
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
Crustose Coralline Algae

scholarly journals Nongeniculate coralline red algae (Rhodophyta: Corallinales) in coral reefs from Northeastern Brazil and a description of Neogoniolithon atlanticum sp. nov.

Phytotaxa ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 190 (1) ◽  
pp. 277 ◽  
Author(s):  
FREDERICO T. S. TÂMEGA ◽  
Rafael Riosmena-Rodriguez ◽  
RODRIGO MARIATH ◽  
Marcia Figueiredo
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Taxonomic Status ◽  
First Record ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Type Material ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
Coralline Red Algae ◽  
Western Atlantic

A taxonomic reassessment of coralline algae (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) associated with reef environments in the Abrolhos Bank, northeastern Brazil, was developed based on extensive historical samples dating from 1999–2009 and a critical evaluation of type material. Our goal was to update the taxonomic status of the main nongeniculate coral reef-forming species. Our results show that four species are the main contributors to the living cover of coral reefs in the Abrolhos Bank: Lithophyllum stictaeforme, Neogoniolithon atlanticum sp. nov., Porolithon pachydermum and Spongites fructiculosus. Comparison of the type material to modern collections has shown that Lithophyllum congestum is a heterotypic synonym of L. stictaeforme. However, L. stictaeforme and P. pachydermum were the most abundant species at the studied sites, a finding consistent with other coral reefs in the region. This is the first record of S. fructiculosus in the southwestern Atlantic. This review provides the baseline data needed for the monitoring and management of the southernmost limits of coral reefs in the western Atlantic Ocean.

scholarly journals Low recruitment due to altered settlement substrata as primary constraint for coral communities under ocean acidification

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1862) ◽  
pp. 20171536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina E. Fabricius ◽  
Sam H. C. Noonan ◽  
David Abrego ◽  
Lindsay Harrington ◽  
Glenn De'ath
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Crustose Coralline Algae ◽  
Coral Recruitment ◽  
Recovery Potential ◽  
Coral Communities

The future of coral reefs under increasing CO 2 depends on their capacity to recover from disturbances. To predict the recovery potential of coral communities that are fully acclimatized to elevated CO 2 , we compared the relative success of coral recruitment and later life stages at two volcanic CO 2 seeps and adjacent control sites in Papua New Guinea. Our field experiments showed that the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on coral recruitment rates were up to an order of magnitude greater than the effects on the survival and growth of established corals. Settlement rates, recruit and juvenile densities were best predicted by the presence of crustose coralline algae, as opposed to the direct effects of seawater CO 2 . Offspring from high CO 2 acclimatized parents had similarly impaired settlement rates as offspring from control parents. For most coral taxa, field data showed no evidence of cumulative and compounding detrimental effects of high CO 2 on successive life stages, and three taxa showed improved adult performance at high CO 2 that compensated for their low recruitment rates. Our data suggest that severely declining capacity for reefs to recover, due to altered settlement substrata and reduced coral recruitment, is likely to become a dominant mechanism of how OA will alter coral reefs.

scholarly journals Ocean warming and acidification have complex interactive effects on the dynamics of a marine fungal disease

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1778) ◽  
pp. 20133069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gareth J. Williams ◽  
Nichole N. Price ◽  
Blake Ushijima ◽  
Greta S. Aeby ◽  
Sean Callahan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Fungal Disease ◽  
Ocean Warming ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Disease Dynamics ◽  
Crustose Coralline Algae

Diseases threaten the structure and function of marine ecosystems and are contributing to the global decline of coral reefs. We currently lack an understanding of how climate change stressors, such as ocean acidification (OA) and warming, may simultaneously affect coral reef disease dynamics, particularly diseases threatening key reef-building organisms, for example crustose coralline algae (CCA). Here, we use coralline fungal disease (CFD), a previously described CCA disease from the Pacific, to examine these simultaneous effects using both field observations and experimental manipulations. We identify the associated fungus as belonging to the subphylum Ustilaginomycetes and show linear lesion expansion rates on individual hosts can reach 6.5 mm per day. Further, we demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, that ocean-warming events could increase the frequency of CFD outbreaks on coral reefs, but that OA-induced lowering of pH may ameliorate outbreaks by slowing lesion expansion rates on individual hosts. Lowered pH may still reduce overall host survivorship, however, by reducing calcification and facilitating fungal bio-erosion. Such complex, interactive effects between simultaneous extrinsic environmental stressors on disease dynamics are important to consider if we are to accurately predict the response of coral reef communities to future climate change.

scholarly journals Taxonomic study of crustose coralline algae off the northeastern Brazilian coast

Phytotaxa ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 190 (1) ◽  
pp. 130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iara Oliveira Costa ◽  
Paulo Antunes Horta ◽  
Ellie R Bergstrom ◽  
José Marcos De Castro Nunes
Keyword(s):  
Red Algae ◽  
First Record ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
Brazilian Coast ◽  
Taxonomic Study ◽  
Northern Coast ◽  
Crustose Coralline Algae ◽  
Coralline Red Algae ◽  
The North ◽  
Ecological Implications

This work presents a detailed morphoanatomical study of crustose coralline algae species from the northeastern Brazilian coast, in the north of Bahia state. Nine species have been recognized: Sporolithon episporum, Lithophyllum stictaeforme, Spongites yendoi, Spongites sp., Mesophyllum erubescens, Phymatolithon masonianum, Phymatolithon calcareum, Lithothamnion crispatum and Lithothamnion brasiliense. Phymatolithon masonianum and Phymatolithon calcareum constitute the first record of these species for the northern coast of Brazil. An identification key, as well as descriptions, illustrations, comparisons with related taxa, and geographical distributions for Brazil as well as global geographic distributions are presented. Additionally, some ecological implications are discussed focusing the need of more studies about this neglected group of coralline red algae.

scholarly journals Effect of terrigenous sediments on macroalgae functional-form groups of coral reefs in Capurganá, Colombian Caribbean

2021 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-135
Author(s):  
Ibis Tarini López-Jiménez ◽  
Lizette Irene Quan-Young ◽  
Lennin Florez-Leiva
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
In Situ Experiment ◽  
Terrigenous Sediments ◽  
Current State ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Sediment Addition ◽  
The Impact

Increased sedimentation in the marine environment has been described as a key factor in the degradation of coral reefs. One of the most important biological components of coral reefs is macroalgae. The objective of this study was to determine whether the effects of terrigenous sediments on macroalgae affect the current state of the coral reef ecosystem. In an in situ experiment in Capurganá Bay, terrigenous sediments were added to artificial plates and the impact on the recruitment and growth of the macroalgae was examined. In this experiment, three treatments were used: sediment addition and two natural conditions, one up to 10 m distance from the sediment addition (control 1) and one between 15 and 20 m distance from the sediment addition (control 2). The results indicated a high complexity and variability in the response of reef algae to the effects of sedimentation depending on the sediment grade size deposited. The addition had a positive effect on the recruitment and growth of filamentous algae, primarily red algae, whereas it had a negative effect on coralline algae. The sediments found on the plates did not significantly change the macroalgal structure (P>0.05). However, a trend was observed in the change of the algal cover in each treatment. These results indicate that there is a wide range of response of the algae depending on the functional groups and the nature of the sediment.

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