scholarly journals Rapid increase in coral cover on an isolated coral reef, the Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve, north-western Australia

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. 1214 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Ceccarelli ◽  
Z. T. Richards ◽  
M. S. Pratchett ◽  
C. Cvitanovic
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Coastal Pollution ◽  
Percent Cover ◽  
Community Recovery ◽  
Coral Communities ◽  
Coral Recovery ◽  
North Western

Against a background of coral reef ecosystem decline, understanding the propensity for coral communities to recover after acute disturbances is fundamental to forecasting and maintaining resilience. It may be expected that offshore reef ecosystems are less affected by anthropogenic disturbances compared with reefs closer to population centres, but that recovery may be slower on isolated reefs following disturbances. To test the hypothesis that community recovery is slow in isolated locations, we measured changes in coral cover and relative abundance of coral genera over a 4 year period (2005–09) at Ashmore Reef, north Western Australia, following severe bleaching. The percent cover of hard coral tripled, from 10.2% (±1.46 s.e.) in 2005 to 29.4% (±1.83 s.e.) in 2009 in all habitats (exposed and lagoonal) and depth zones (2–5 and 8–10 m), and the percent cover of soft corals doubled, from 4.5% (+0.63 s.e.) in 2005 to 8.3% (+1.4 s.e.) in 2009. Significant shifts in the taxonomic composition of hard corals were detected. Our results imply that coral recovery in isolated locations can occur rapidly after an initial delay in recruitment, presumably through the interacting effects of self-recruitment and reduced exposure to additive impacts such as coastal pollution.

Recovery of an Isolated Coral Reef System Following Severe Disturbance

Science ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 340 (6128) ◽  
pp. 69-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
James P. Gilmour ◽  
Luke D. Smith ◽  
Andrew J. Heyward ◽  
Andrew H. Baird ◽  
Morgan S. Pratchett
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Initial Increase ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Reef System ◽  
Reef Recovery ◽  
Rates Of Growth ◽  
North Western ◽  
Severe Disturbance

Coral reef recovery from major disturbance is hypothesized to depend on the arrival of propagules from nearby undisturbed reefs. Therefore, reefs isolated by distance or current patterns are thought to be highly vulnerable to catastrophic disturbance. We found that on an isolated reef system in north Western Australia, coral cover increased from 9% to 44% within 12 years of a coral bleaching event, despite a 94% reduction in larval supply for 6 years after the bleaching. The initial increase in coral cover was the result of high rates of growth and survival of remnant colonies, followed by a rapid increase in juvenile recruitment as colonies matured. We show that isolated reefs can recover from major disturbance, and that the benefits of their isolation from chronic anthropogenic pressures can outweigh the costs of limited connectivity.

scholarly journals Evolution and connectivity influence the persistence and recovery of coral reefs under climate change in the Caribbean, Southwest Pacific, and Coral Triangle

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa C. McManus ◽  
Daniel L. Forrest ◽  
Edward W. Tekwa ◽  
Daniel E. Schindler ◽  
Madhavi A. Colton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Larval Settlement ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Coral Triangle ◽  
Southwest Pacific ◽  
Network Characteristics ◽  
Coral Communities ◽  
The Caribbean

AbstractCorals are experiencing unprecedented decline from climate change-induced mass bleaching events. Dispersal not only contributes to coral reef persistence through demographic rescue but can also hinder or facilitate evolutionary adaptation. Locations of reefs that are likely to survive future warming therefore remain largely unknown, particularly within the context of both ecological and evolutionary processes across complex seascapes that differ in temperature range, strength of connectivity, network size, and other characteristics. Here, we used eco-evolutionary simulations to examine coral adaptation to warming across reef networks in the Caribbean, the Southwest Pacific, and the Coral Triangle. We assessed the factors associated with coral persistence in multiple reef systems to understand which results are general and which are sensitive to particular geographic contexts. We found that evolution can be critical in preventing extinction and facilitating the long-term recovery of coral communities in all regions. Furthermore, the strength of immigration to a reef (destination strength) and current sea surface temperature robustly predicted reef persistence across all reef networks and across temperature projections. However, we found higher initial coral cover, slower recovery, and more evolutionary lag in the Coral Triangle, which has a greater number of reefs and more larval settlement than the other regions. We also found the lowest projected future coral cover in the Caribbean. These findings suggest that coral reef persistence depends on ecology, evolution, and habitat network characteristics, and that, under an emissions stabilization scenario (RCP 4.5), recovery may be possible over multiple centuries.

scholarly journals Modelling the linkage between coral assemblage structure and pattern of environmental forcing

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 200565
Author(s):  
Stuart A. Sandin ◽  
Yoan Eynaud ◽  
Gareth J. Williams ◽  
Clinton B. Edwards ◽  
Dylan E. McNamara
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Reef Coral ◽  
Assemblage Structure ◽  
Benthic Assemblages ◽  
Environmental Forcing ◽  
Temporal Variance ◽  
Coral Communities ◽  
Colony Loss ◽  
Coral Assemblage

Geographical comparisons suggest that coral reef communities can vary as a function of their environmental context, differing not just in terms of total coral cover but also in terms of relative abundance (or coverage) of coral taxa. While much work has considered how shifts in benthic reef dynamics can shift dominance of stony corals relative to algal and other benthic competitors, the relative performance of coral types under differing patterns of environmental disturbance has received less attention. We construct an empirically-grounded numerical model to simulate coral assemblage dynamics under a spectrum of disturbance regimes, contrasting hydrodynamic disturbances (which cause morphology-specific, whole-colony mortality) with disturbances that cause mortality independently of colony morphology. We demonstrate that the relative representation of morphological types within a coral assemblage shows limited connection to the intensity, and essentially no connection to the frequency, of hydrodynamic disturbances. Morphological types of corals that are more vulnerable to mortality owing to hydrodynamic disturbance tend to grow faster, with rates sufficiently high to recover benthic coverage during inter-disturbance intervals. By contrast, we show that factors causing mortality without linkage to morphology, including those that cause only partial colony loss, more dramatically shift coral assemblage structure, disproportionately favouring fast-growing tabular morphologies. Furthermore, when intensity and likelihood of such disturbances increases, assemblages do not adapt smoothly and instead reveal a heightened level of temporal variance, beyond which reefs demonstrate drastically reduced coral coverage. Our findings highlight that adaptation of coral reef benthic assemblages depends on the nature of disturbances, with hydrodynamic disturbances having little to no effect on the capacity of reef coral communities to resist and recover with sustained coral dominance.

MONITORING CORAL RECOVERY AT NEARSHORE CORAL REEFS IN PHANGNGA PROVINCE, THE ANDAMAN SEA FOLLOWING THE 2010 CORAL BLEACHING EVENT

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makamas Sutthacheep ◽  
Makamas Sutthacheep ◽  
Thamasak Yeemin ◽  
Thamasak Yeemin ◽  
Sittiporn Pengsakun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Bleaching ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Andaman Sea ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Bleaching Event ◽  
Sea Star ◽  
Coral Recovery

Mass bleaching and subsequent mortality of scleractinian corals in response to elevated seawater temperatures has been considered as one of the most impacts of global climate change. Three extensive coral bleaching events in the Andaman Sea were reported, in the years 1991, 1995 and 2010. Studies on survival of coral colonies, coral recruitment and community structure of coral reef associated macrofauna would predict the trends for coral recovery from the impacts of coral bleaching events. The present study aimed to examine the status of coral communities, density of coral recruits and coral reef associated macrofauna at nearshore coral reefs in Phangnga Province, the Andaman Sea following the 2010 coral bleaching event. The dead coral cover was high (>50%) while the live coral cover was in the range of 13-21%. There was high diversity of coral recruits on natural substrates. The average densities of macrobenthic fauna varied from 1.9 to 2.6 individuals.m-2, with significant differences among study sites. The dominant macrobenthic species were a soft coral (Lobophytum sp.), a sea star (Linckia laevigata) and a sea urchin (Echinostrephus molaris). Coral recovery at these coral reefs would be possible but local anthropogenic stressors must be overwhelmingly reduced in order to enhance coral reef resilience. The long-term monitoring programs in the Andaman Sea are required for decision makers to support their adaptive management approaches.

Coral bleaching in turbid waters of north-western Australia

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 65 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Lafratta ◽  
J. Fromont ◽  
P. Speare ◽  
C. H. L. Schönberg
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Coral Community ◽  
Soft Corals ◽  
Hard Coral ◽  
Turbid Waters ◽  
Benthic Survey ◽  
North Western

We report severe bleaching in a turbid water coral community in north-western Australia. Towed still imagery was used for a benthic survey near Onslow in March 2013 to assess thermal stress in hard and soft corals, finding 51–68% of all corals fully bleached in 10–15-m water depth. Tabulate or foliaceous Turbinaria was the locally most abundant hard coral (46%), followed by massives such as faviids and poritids (25%) and encrusting coral (12%), thus over 80% of the local corals could be considered to be bleaching resistant. All coral groups were bleached in similar proportions (massive hard corals 51%<soft corals 60%<encrusting hard corals 62%<Turbinaria 62%<‘others’ 68%). NOAA data and environmental assessments suggest previous recurrent thermal stress throughout the last 10 years in the study area. On the basis of these records this stress apparently changed the community structure from bleaching vulnerable species such as Acropora, leaving more tolerant species, and reduced coral cover. We could see no evidence for adaptation or acclimation of corals in this area. Towed still imagery was found to be a suitable means for rapid and large-scale bleaching studies in shallow, turbid areas where diving can be difficult or impossible.

scholarly journals Recurrent coral bleaching in north-western Australia and associated declines in coral cover

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Babcock ◽  
D. P. Thomson ◽  
M. D. E. Haywood ◽  
M. A. Vanderklift ◽  
R. Pillans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Coral Bleaching ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
North Western

scholarly journals Quantifying Coral Reef Resilience to Climate Change and Human Development: An Evaluation of Multiple Empirical Frameworks

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley H. Y. Bang ◽  
Chao-Yang Kuo ◽  
Colin Kuo-Chang Wen ◽  
Kah-Leng Cherh ◽  
Ming-Jay Ho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Coral Reef Resilience ◽  
Coral Communities ◽  
Coral Recovery ◽  
Key Indicators

The integrity of coral reefs has increasingly been threatened by human development and climate change. As a result, the concept of ecological resilience – an ecosystem's capability to resist and recover from environmental stressors – has become an important aspect of coral reef conservation. In this study, coral reef resilience was quantitatively scored in Kenting National Park (KNP), Taiwan, using four different assessment frameworks: the first uses the opinions of local reef experts, the second includes metrics specific to the local reef context, the third combines the previous two approaches, and the fourth relies solely on ecological metrics from biodiversity surveys. To evaluate the accuracy of each assessment, the resulting resilience scores were compared with historical coral recovery rates, which served as a proxy for resilience. While each approach to measuring resilience has its merits and drawbacks, the picture of resilience became clearest when a few key indicators were included to reflect core ecosystem processes. Trends in resilience scores varied depending on the makeup of the assessment's indicators, and there was little correlation between the baseline metrics measured using different data collection methods. However, all resilience assessment trends indicated that KNP's Nanwan area is high in resilience. This is likely due to the effects of local tidally-induced upwelling, which significantly relieve the growing thermal stress placed on surrounding coral communities. Ultimately, the most successful assessments were those that empirically quantified ecological processes and local factors with only a few indicators, rather than broader approaches that measured many indicators. These findings are particularly relevant for reef managers to consider as they develop and employ resilience-based management strategies.

scholarly journals Cross shelf gradients of scleractinian corals in the Spermonde Islands, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
SYAFYUDIN YUSUF ◽  
MARIA BEGER ◽  
Asmi Citra Malina A.R. Tassakka ◽  
MAARTEN DE BRAUWER ◽  
AMANDA PRICELLA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Outer Shelf ◽  
Shelf Zone ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Hard Coral ◽  
Coral Colony ◽  
South Sulawesi ◽  
Coral Communities

Abstract. Yusuf S, Beger M, Tassakka ACMAR, Brauwer MD, Pricella A, Rahmi, Umar W, Limmon GV, Moore AM, Jompa J. 2021. Cross shelf gradients of scleractinian corals in the Spermonde Islands, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 1415-1423. Coral reef ecosystems around the world have suffered extensive degradation, including the reefs of the Wallacea region within the Coral Triangle global biodiversity hotspot. Anthropogenic and natural threats can reduce the level of coral reef biodiversity differentially across environmental or impact gradients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in hard coral (Scleractinia) diversity and community structure across an inshore-offshore zonation gradient in the Spermonde Islands, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Data on coral colony species and abundance as well as live coral cover were collected from 10 m2 belt transects at a depth of 6 to 8 m. A total of 72 transects were placed around the 12 island stations in three zones: the inner mid-shelf zone, outer mid-shelf zone and outer shelf zone. Data were analyzed to determine the species richness, and three ecological indices for the hard coral communities were calculated: the Shannon Diversity Index (H'), Similarity Index (E), and Dominance Index (C). A total of 310 hard coral species belonging to 62 genera were recorded. The coral communities were dominated by the genera Fungia, Montipora and Porites, and coral cover was in the 'moderate' category. The number of species was directly proportional to the number of colonies within each zone. Live coral cover was higher in the inner mid-shelf zone and outer shelf zone than the outer mid-shelf zone; conversely, the species richness and coral colony abundance were higher in the outer mid-shelf zone. However, the differences were not statistically significant. The indices H’, C, and E did not differ significantly between the zones. However, Tambakulu Island in Zone 4 had the lowest values of E and H’ and the highest value of C. Findings suggest that most-hard coral communities in the cross-shelf zones of the Spermonde Islands are stable communities characterized by relatively high diversity and low dominance indices.

MONITORING CORAL RECOVERY AT NEARSHORE CORAL REEFS IN PHANGNGA PROVINCE, THE ANDAMAN SEA FOLLOWING THE 2010 CORAL BLEACHING EVENT

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makamas Sutthacheep ◽  
Makamas Sutthacheep ◽  
Thamasak Yeemin ◽  
Thamasak Yeemin ◽  
Sittiporn Pengsakun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Bleaching ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Andaman Sea ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Bleaching Event ◽  
Sea Star ◽  
Coral Recovery

Mass bleaching and subsequent mortality of scleractinian corals in response to elevated seawater temperatures has been considered as one of the most impacts of global climate change. Three extensive coral bleaching events in the Andaman Sea were reported, in the years 1991, 1995 and 2010. Studies on survival of coral colonies, coral recruitment and community structure of coral reef associated macrofauna would predict the trends for coral recovery from the impacts of coral bleaching events. The present study aimed to examine the status of coral communities, density of coral recruits and coral reef associated macrofauna at nearshore coral reefs in Phangnga Province, the Andaman Sea following the 2010 coral bleaching event. The dead coral cover was high (>50%) while the live coral cover was in the range of 13-21%. There was high diversity of coral recruits on natural substrates. The average densities of macrobenthic fauna varied from 1.9 to 2.6 individuals.m-2, with significant differences among study sites. The dominant macrobenthic species were a soft coral (Lobophytum sp.), a sea star (Linckia laevigata) and a sea urchin (Echinostrephus molaris). Coral recovery at these coral reefs would be possible but local anthropogenic stressors must be overwhelmingly reduced in order to enhance coral reef resilience. The long-term monitoring programs in the Andaman Sea are required for decision makers to support their adaptive management approaches.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease at El Seco, a Mesophotic Reef System off Vieques Island, Puerto Rico

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacey M. Williams ◽  
Jorge García-Sais ◽  
Jorge Sabater-Clavell
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Stony Coral ◽  
Reef System ◽  
Coral Communities ◽  
Mesophotic Reef

Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) are ecologically and functionally vital, as they are Essential Fish Habitats that function as refugia for corals and sponges of shallow-water reefs. Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) is a relatively new lethal coral disease, first affecting coral reefs in Florida and has now spread through most of the Caribbean. SCTLD was observed in Puerto Rico in December 2019 in Culebra Island. Since then, SCTLD has appeared along the east coast of Puerto Rico, affecting primarily shallow reefs in San Juan, Culebra and Vieques Island, and Fajardo. During late June and July 2020, four mesophotic reef habitats were surveyed at El Seco (off Vieques Island), on the southeast coast of Puerto Rico. SCTLD was observed at colonized pavement (CPRT – 23–30 m), bank coral reef (BCR – 35–40 m), patch coral reef (PCR – 36–42 m), and rhodolith (Rhodo – 40–50 m) habitats. The mean percent substrate cover by sessile-benthic categories varied significantly between habitats (PERMANOVA, p &lt; 0.001), with a higher mean (± SE) coral cover at BCR (26.95 ± 5.60%), followed by PCR (12.88 ± 3.88%). SCTLD was detected in all habitats, but the disease prevalence was significantly higher at BCR, ranging from 9.70 to 21.13% of colonies infected (Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA, p &lt; 0.007). Even though PCR habitats exhibited less coral cover, SCTLD prevalence was still elevated ranging from 6.66 to 15.07%. The deepest record of SCTLD at El Seco was 40.9 m. The majority (∼98%) of the corals infected with the disease were from the Orbicella complex spp. (faveolata/franksi). However, there were other infected species, such as Agaricia grahamae, A. lamarcki, Montastraea cavernosa, and Porites astreoides. As seen in the surveys conducted in 2011 and 2020, the loss of coral cover allows for the emergence of other benthic “detractors,” such as peyssonnelids, specifically Ramicrusta spp. Ramicrusta spp., an aggressive encrusting red alga known to take over available space and overgrow corals, significantly increased its substrate cover at the impacted reefs. Therefore, the severity and virulence of SCTLD will most likely have severe and long-lasting negative impacts on the coral communities at El Seco mesophotic reef system.

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