scholarly journals Coral Resilience at Malauka`a Fringing Reef, Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu after 18 years

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barnhill ◽  
Bahr
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Kappaphycus Alvarezii ◽  
Percent Cover ◽  
Fringing Reef ◽  
Porites Compressa ◽  
Original Survey ◽  
Composition Changes

Globally, coral reefs are under threat from climate change and increasingly frequent bleaching events. However, corals in Kāneʻohe Bay, Hawaiʻi have demonstrated the ability to acclimatize and resist increasing temperatures. Benthic cover (i.e., coral, algae, other) was compared over an 18 year period (2000 vs. 2018) to estimate species composition changes. Despite a climate change induced 0.96°C temperature increase and two major bleaching events within the 18-year period, the fringing reef saw no significant change in total coral cover (%) or relative coral species composition in the two dominant reef-building corals, Porites compressa and Montipora capitata. However, the loss of two coral species (Pocillopora meandrina and Porites lobata) and the addition of one new coral species (Leptastrea purpurea) between surveys indicates that while the fringing reef remains intact, a shift in species composition has occurred. While total non-coral substrate cover (%) increased from 2000 to 2018, two species of algae (Gracilaria salicornia and Kappaphycus alvarezii) present in the original survey were absent in 2018. The previously dominant algae Dictyosphaeria spp. significantly decreased in percent cover between surveys. The survival of the studied fringing reef indicates resilience and suggests these Hawaiian corals are capable of acclimatization to climate change and bleaching events.

scholarly journals A cross-ocean comparison of responses to settlement cues in reef-building corals

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah W Davies ◽  
Eli Meyer ◽  
Sarah M Guermond ◽  
Mikhail V Matz
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
Crustose Coralline Algae ◽  
Coral Recruitment ◽  
Coral Larvae ◽  
Settlement Cues ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Caribbean Coral

Caribbean coral reefs have deteriorated substantially over the past 30 years, which is broadly attributable to the effects of global climate change. In the same time, Indo-Pacific reefs maintain higher coral cover and typically recover rapidly after disturbances. This difference in reef resilience is largely due to much higher coral recruitment rates in the Pacific. We hypothesized that the lack of Caribbean coral recruitment might be explained by diminishing quality of settlement cues and/or impaired sensitivity of Caribbean coral larvae to those cues, relative to the Pacific. To evaluate this hypothesis, we assembled a collection of bulk samples of reef encrusting communities, mostly consisting of crustose coralline algae (CCA), from various reefs around the world and tested them as settlement cues for several coral species originating from different ocean provinces. Cue samples were meta-barcoded to evaluate their taxonomic diversity. We observed no systematic differences either in cue potency or in strength of larval responses depending on the ocean province, and no preference of coral larvae towards cues from the same ocean. Instead, we detected significant differences in cue preferences among coral species, even for corals originating from the same reef. We conclude that the region-wide disruption of the settlement process is unlikely to be the major cause of Caribbean reef loss. However, due to their high sensitivity to the effects of climate change, shifts in the composition of CCA-associated communities, combined with pronounced differences in cue preferences among coral species, could substantially influence future coral community structure.

scholarly journals A cross-ocean comparison of responses to settlement cues in reef-building corals

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah W Davies ◽  
Eli Meyer ◽  
Sarah M Guermond ◽  
Mikhail V Matz
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
Crustose Coralline Algae ◽  
Coral Recruitment ◽  
Coral Larvae ◽  
Settlement Cues ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Caribbean Coral

Caribbean coral reefs have deteriorated substantially over the past 30 years, which is broadly attributable to the effects of global climate change. In the same time, Indo-Pacific reefs maintain higher coral cover and typically recover rapidly after disturbances. This difference in reef resilience is largely due to much higher coral recruitment rates in the Pacific. We hypothesized that the lack of Caribbean coral recruitment might be explained by diminishing quality of settlement cues and/or impaired sensitivity of Caribbean coral larvae to those cues, relative to the Pacific. To evaluate this hypothesis, we assembled a collection of bulk samples of reef encrusting communities, mostly consisting of crustose coralline algae (CCA), from various reefs around the world and tested them as settlement cues for several coral species originating from different ocean provinces. Cue samples were meta-barcoded to evaluate their taxonomic diversity. We observed no systematic differences either in cue potency or in strength of larval responses depending on the ocean province, and no preference of coral larvae towards cues from the same ocean. Instead, we detected significant differences in cue preferences among coral species, even for corals originating from the same reef. We conclude that the region-wide disruption of the settlement process is unlikely to be the major cause of Caribbean reef loss. However, due to their high sensitivity to the effects of climate change, shifts in the composition of CCA-associated communities, combined with pronounced differences in cue preferences among coral species, could substantially influence future coral community structure.

scholarly journals Repeated surveying over 6 years reveals that fine-scale habitat variables are key to tropical mountain ant assemblage composition and functional diversity

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mulalo M. Muluvhahothe ◽  
Grant S. Joseph ◽  
Colleen L. Seymour ◽  
Thinandavha C. Munyai ◽  
Stefan H. Foord
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Composition Analysis ◽  
Fine Scale

AbstractHigh-altitude-adapted ectotherms can escape competition from dominant species by tolerating low temperatures at cooler elevations, but climate change is eroding such advantages. Studies evaluating broad-scale impacts of global change for high-altitude organisms often overlook the mitigating role of biotic factors. Yet, at fine spatial-scales, vegetation-associated microclimates provide refuges from climatic extremes. Using one of the largest standardised data sets collected to date, we tested how ant species composition and functional diversity (i.e., the range and value of species traits found within assemblages) respond to large-scale abiotic factors (altitude, aspect), and fine-scale factors (vegetation, soil structure) along an elevational gradient in tropical Africa. Altitude emerged as the principal factor explaining species composition. Analysis of nestedness and turnover components of beta diversity indicated that ant assemblages are specific to each elevation, so species are not filtered out but replaced with new species as elevation increases. Similarity of assemblages over time (assessed using beta decay) did not change significantly at low and mid elevations but declined at the highest elevations. Assemblages also differed between northern and southern mountain aspects, although at highest elevations, composition was restricted to a set of species found on both aspects. Functional diversity was not explained by large scale variables like elevation, but by factors associated with elevation that operate at fine scales (i.e., temperature and habitat structure). Our findings highlight the significance of fine-scale variables in predicting organisms’ responses to changing temperature, offering management possibilities that might dilute climate change impacts, and caution when predicting assemblage responses using climate models, alone.

Sensitivity of aboveground biomass and species composition to climate change in boreal forests of Northeastern China

2021 ◽  
Vol 445 ◽  
pp. 109472
Author(s):  
Chao Huang ◽  
Yu Liang ◽  
Hong S. He ◽  
Mia M. Wu ◽  
Bo Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Northeastern China

Potential of increasing intensity of tropical cyclones due to sea surface temperature and impact on coral reefs in the context of climate change

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
N.D. Hung ◽  
L.T.H. Thuy ◽  
T.V. Hang ◽  
T.N. Luan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Central Zone ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Strong Winds

The coral reef ecosystem in Cu Lao Cham, Vietnam is part of the central zone of the Cu Lao Cham -Hoi An, a biosphere reserve and it is strictly protected. However, the impacts of natural disasters - tropical cyclones (TCs) go beyond human protection. The characteristic feature of TCs is strong winds and the consequences of strong winds are high waves. High waves caused by strong TCs (i.e. level 13 or more) cause decline in coral cover in the seas around Cu Lao Cham. Based on the relationship between sea surface temperature (SST) and the maximum potential intensity (MPI) of TCs, this research determines the number of strong TCs in Cu Lao Cham in the future. Using results from a regional climate change model, the risk is that the number of strong TCs in the period 2021-2060 under the RCP4.5 scenario, will be 3.7 times greater than in the period 1980-2019 and under the RCP 8.5 scenario it will be 5.2 times greater than in the period 1980-2019. We conclude that increases in SST in the context of climate change risks will increase the number and intensity of TCs and so the risk of their mechanical impact on coral reefs will be higher leading to degradation of this internationally important site.

Pools of resilience

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Abrego ◽  
Andrew H Baird ◽  
Emily Howells ◽  
Stephen DA Smith
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Scleractinian Corals ◽  
Rock Pools ◽  
Southeastern Australia ◽  
Extreme Habitat

We describe an extreme habitat for scleractinian corals in intertidal rock pools of southeastern Australia. The pools host a small but hardy subset of coral species despite experiencing conditions beyond those documented for corals anywhere in Australia. Understanding mechanisms behind this may improve insights into climate change adaptation in corals.

scholarly journals Cross-scale habitat structure driven by coral species composition on tropical reefs

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura E. Richardson ◽  
Nicholas A. J. Graham ◽  
Andrew S. Hoey
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Habitat Structure ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Tropical Reefs

scholarly journals Succession in rocky intertidal benthic communities in areas with different pollution levels at Guanabara Bay (RJ-Brazil)

2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 951-965 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Breves-Ramos ◽  
Helena Passeri Lavrado ◽  
Andrea de Oliveira Ribeiro Junqueira ◽  
Sérgio Henrique Gonçalves da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Community Development ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Organic Pollution ◽  
Polluted Area ◽  
Rocky Intertidal ◽  
Percent Cover ◽  
Guanabara Bay ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Resilient Communities

The aim of this study was to describe and compare the succession of intertidal benthic communities in two areas at Guanabara Bay, RJ, Brazil: Urca, an area submitted to moderated organic pollution and Catalão, an extremely polluted area. Three transects in each area were scraped one month before the beginning of this study in order to evaluate the recruitment (recruitment-treatments). Three other transects were monitored without manipulation (monitoring treatments). Species composition and relative abundance were evaluated monthly between September and December, 2000. A total of 26 species was found at Urca and 13 at Catalão. The percent cover of the most abundant organisms was not similar between treatments at Urca after four months, while in Catalão, the similarity was 72% in the second month. The faster community development and recovery at the most polluted area was probably related to the existence of simple and resilient communities in more impacted areas.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document