Coral community bleaching response on a highly urbanised reef

10.7287/peerj.preprints.760 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

James R Guest ◽

Jeffrey Low ◽

Karenne Tun ◽

Jani I Tanzil ◽

Peter A Todd ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Thermal Stress ◽

Anthropogenic Impacts ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Coral Community ◽

Bleaching Response ◽

Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies ◽

Relative Cover ◽

June July

Projected increases in the magnitude and frequency of sea surface temperature anomalies present a significant threat to the persistence of tropical coral reefs, however, detailed studies of community level responses to thermal stress are needed if its effect on reef resilience are to be understood. While many studies report on broad, regional scale responses to thermal stress (e.g., proportion of corals bleached), far fewer examine variation in susceptibility among taxa and change in coral community structure, before, during and after bleaching on individual reefs. Furthermore, relatively few studies of bleaching response come from highly urbanised reefs that experience chronic disturbances such as elevated sedimentation and turbidity. Here we report in detail on the bleaching response of corals at a highly urbanised reef site south of mainland Singapore during (June, July) and immediately after (October) a major thermal coral bleaching event in 2010. To estimate the capacity for resistance and resilience to thermal stress, we report on a) the overall bleaching severity during and after the event, b) differences in bleaching susceptibility among taxa during the event and c) the response of the reef in terms of taxonomic community structure before (2009) and after (2012) bleaching. Despite severe bleaching in 2010 (66% of colonies bleached), post-bleaching recovery appeared to be relatively rapid and coral taxa that are usually highly susceptible (e.g., Acropora and Pocillopora) were relatively unaffected, i.e., either they did not bleach or they bleached and recovered. Although there was no significant change in coral taxonomic community structure among years, taxa that bleached most severely tended to have the greatest reductions in relative cover. Several factors may have contributed to the overall high resistance of this site to bleaching including turbidity, symbiont affiliation and heterotrophy. A parsimonious explanation for the reversed pattern of bleaching susceptibility among taxa is that these coral populations have adapted and/or acclimatised to thermal stress. Despite ongoing chronic anthropogenic impacts, we suggest that this site has potential for rapid recovery of coral cover due to the dominant coral taxa and growth forms being capable of rapid regrowth from remnant colonies.

Coral communities condition in varying wave exposure: the gulf of Cazones, Cuba

Revista de Biología Tropical ◽

10.15517/rbt.v64i1.18231 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 64 (1) ◽

pp. 79 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hansel Caballero Aragon ◽

Pedro M Alcolado ◽

Néstor Rey-Villiers ◽

Susana Perera Valderrama ◽

Juliett González Méndez

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Community Structure ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Coral Community ◽

Wave Exposure ◽

Maximum Diameter ◽

Live Coral ◽

Coral Mortality ◽

Coral Communities

Wave exposure can influence community structure and distribution of shallow coral reefs, by affecting organisms both directly and indirectly. To assess the current stony coral community condition under different degrees of wave exposure at a marine protected area of the Gulf of Cazones (SW Cuba), two expeditions were carried out in May 2010 and June 2012. Four sampling sites were sampled at reef crests (1.5 m deep), and twelve at fore-reefs, at 10, 15 and 20 m deep in four geographic locations. Live coral cover, species richness and composition, colony density, and maximum diameter were assessed using the AGRRA 2001 methodology. Multivariate and non-parametric statistics were applied to compare sites. The coral community structure within reef crests was not homogenous. The observed variability of indicators apparently was determined by great coral mortality events resulting from natural disturbances that occurred in the past (hurricanes, bleaching and diseases). Fore-reef coral communities displayed better condition and lower coral mortality than reef crests. Species richness and coral composition varied, while multivariate and statistical methods did not reveal site grouping with regard to wave exposure. The remaining biological condition indicators were similar among sites, except in the most exposed one, where coral cover and coral size were slightly lower. Wave exposure in the gulf of Cazones seemed not to have a significant influence on differences in condition and structure of the assessed coral communities.

Impacts of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) on Coral Community Structure at an Inshore Patch Reef of the Upper Florida Keys Using Photomosaics

Frontiers in Marine Science ◽

10.3389/fmars.2021.682163 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Graham Kolodziej ◽

Michael S. Studivan ◽

Arthur C. R. Gleason ◽

Chris Langdon ◽

Ian C. Enochs ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Coral Reef ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Florida Keys ◽

Coral Community ◽

Tissue Loss ◽

Coral Tissue ◽

Coral Mortality ◽

Stony Coral ◽

Reef Tract

Since the appearance of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) on reefs off Miami in 2014, this unprecedented outbreak has spread across the entirety of Florida’s coral reef tract, as well as to many territories throughout the Caribbean. The endemic zone reached the upper Florida Keys by 2016, resulting in partial or complete mortality of coral colonies across numerous species. Disease was first observed at Cheeca Rocks (Islamorada, Florida) in the beginning of 2018, with reports of coral mortality peaking mid-year. The disease was still present at Cheeca Rocks as of March 2020, however, to a lesser degree compared to the initial outbreak. Annual monitoring efforts have been ongoing at Cheeca Rocks since 2012, including repeated benthic photomosaics of a 330 m2 survey zone, spanning six replicate sites. As such, a repository of coral community composition data exists for before and after the disease outbreak that was analyzed to assess the impacts of SCTLD on reef communities at an upper Florida Keys inshore reef. Cheeca Rocks is hypothesized to be a resilient reef due to its persistent high coral cover despite its inshore location, which subjects corals to fluctuating water quality and marginal environmental conditions. Coral populations here have been shown to recover from bleaching events and heat stress with minimal coral mortality. Though colonies of coral species characterized as highly and moderately susceptible to SCTLD (e.g., Colpophyllia natans, Diploria labyrinthiformis, Pseudodiploria strigosa, Orbicella annularis, and O. faveolata) suffered mortality as a result of the outbreak with an average loss of 16.42% relative cover by species, the overall impacts on coral cover and community structure were relatively low, contributing to a loss of total coral cover of only 1.65%. Comparison of photomosaic data to other studies indicate Cheeca Rocks may not have been affected as severely as other sites on Florida’s coral reef tract, underlying this site’s potential role in coral resilience to stressors including bleaching events, land-based pollution, and disease epizootics.

Spatial Patterns of Coral Community Structure in the Toliara Region of Southwest Madagascar and Implications for Conservation and Management

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d13100486 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 486

Author(s):

Radonirina Lebely Botosoamananto ◽

Gildas Todinanahary ◽

Andriamanjato Razakandrainy ◽

Mahery Randrianarivo ◽

Lucie Penin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Spatial Heterogeneity ◽

Marine Protected Areas ◽

Size Structure ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Coral Community ◽

Large Area ◽

Coral Assemblage ◽

The 1960S ◽

Positive Results

The Great Reef of Toliara, on the southwestern coast of Madagascar, has been documented as harbouring flourishing reef communities in the 1960s, but has since been affected by various threats, causing a coral decline last reported in 2008. In 2017, we examined the spatial heterogeneity in coral community structure in the region of Toliara. Coral assemblages were characterized by a marked spatial variability, with significant variation for most of the descriptors among the three major habitats and also among stations within habitats. We recorded high coral cover, with values >40% at six of the 10 stations, which was associated with high abundance of coral colonies. We also documented the return to an Acropora-dominated coral assemblage. While these positive results suggest a recent return to healthier coral assemblages, they must be tempered, as the diversity that we recorded was lower than in the 1960s. Moreover, we found a high cover of algae at several stations, suggesting that the ecosystem is likely close to the tipping point toward a phase shift. Finally, the population size-structure of major coral taxa was positively skewed, with few large colonies to ensure the replenishment of local populations. The marked spatial variation suggests that marine protected areas should integrate a sufficiently large area to capture the scale of this spatial heterogeneity.

Coral bleaching in turbid waters of north-western Australia

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf15314 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 68 (1) ◽

pp. 65 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

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.

U-Th dating reveals regional-scale decline of branching Acropora corals on the Great Barrier Reef over the past century

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1705351114 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 114 (39) ◽

pp. 10350-10355 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Tara R. Clark ◽

George Roff ◽

Jian-xin Zhao ◽

Yue-xing Feng ◽

Terence J. Done ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Great Barrier Reef ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Coral Community ◽

Past Century ◽

Barrier Reef ◽

The Past ◽

Hard Coral Cover ◽

Term Monitoring

Hard coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is on a trajectory of decline. However, little is known about past coral mortality before the advent of long-term monitoring (circa 1980s). Using paleoecological analysis and high-precision uranium-thorium (U-Th) dating, we reveal an extensive loss of branching Acropora corals and changes in coral community structure in the Palm Islands region of the central GBR over the past century. In 2008, dead coral assemblages were dominated by large, branching Acropora and living coral assemblages by genera typically found in turbid inshore environments. The timing of Acropora mortality was found to be occasionally synchronous among reefs and frequently linked to discrete disturbance events, occurring in the 1920s to 1960s and again in the 1980s to 1990s. Surveys conducted in 2014 revealed low Acropora cover (<5%) across all sites, with very little evidence of change for up to 60 y at some sites. Collectively, our results suggest a loss of resilience of this formerly dominant key framework builder at a regional scale, with recovery severely lagging behind predictions. Our study implies that the management of these reefs may be predicated on a shifted baseline.

Assessment Assessment of benthic and coral community structure in an inshore reef in Balok, Pahang, Malaysia

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity ◽

10.13057/biodiv/d200335 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 872-877 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

MUHAMMAD FAIZ MOHD HANAPIAH ◽

SHAHBUDIN SAAD ◽

ZUHAIRI AHMAD ◽

MUHAMMAD HAMIZAN YUSOF ◽

MOHD FIKRI AKMAL KHODZORI

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Community Composition ◽

Benthic Community ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Water Environment ◽

Coral Community ◽

Marine Park ◽

Inshore Reef ◽

Class 1 ◽

Challenging Environment

Abstract. Hanapiah MFM, Saad S, Ahmad Z, Yusof MH, Khodzori MFA. Assessment of benthic and coral community structure in an inshore reef in Balok, Pahang, Malaysia. Biodiversitas 20: 872-877. Inshore water reef closer to human activities are often neglected since they are not protected by marine park management. Little is known on how this reef responses to challenging environment in terms of abundance, diversity and benthic community composition. This study provides a quantitative assessment on the benthic community composition at 5 reef sites in Balok, Pahang, Malaysia and observed the ecological adaptation in the reef community towards turbid water environment. Balok reef has 39% overall coral cover with very low macroalgae abundance (4%). A total of 28 coral genera from 12 families have been recorded with Porites the most dominant genus in the coral assemblages. Most reef sites in Balok are categorized under conservation class 1 (CC1), which indicated that resilient and survival of the reef rely on stress-tolerators taxa. The data presented here showed that Balok reef is highly resilient towards constant exposure to high sedimentation and wave action.

CAMBIO TEMPORAL EN LA ESTRUCTURA DE LA COMUNIDAD CORALINA DEL ÁREA DE SANTA MARTA - PARQUE NACIONAL NATURAL TAYRONA (CARIBE COLOMBIANO)

Bulletin of Marine and Coastal Research ◽

10.25268/bimc.invemar.2005.34.0.239 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 34 ◽

Author(s):

Silvia Martínez ◽

Alberto Acosta

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Temporal Change ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Coral Community ◽

Base Line ◽

Dead Coral ◽

The Past ◽

Natural Park ◽

Inverse Pattern ◽

Coral Composition

Several predictions have been made, about magnitude and direction of temporal changes in the coral community structure, during the last decade. However, few studies have demonstrated it quantitatively. In order to document such changes, the coral community structure was studied in four continental reefs in the Colombian Caribbean, two in the Santa Marta region: Punta Betín (PB) and Morro Grande Island (MO), and two in the Tayrona National Natural Park (PNNT): Granate cove (GR) and Gayraca bay (GA). Coral composition and cover were quantified in 2002 and compared to base line studies from 1989 (PB, MO & GR) and from 1992 (GA). These variables were quantified by 20 m linear transects between 1.5 m and 29 m depth. After a decade, all reefs lost in average 13.8 % absolute coral cover (with respect to the total of the bottom) and 42 % relative coral cover (with respect to the total of coral bottom). Composition changed through time in the four sampled reefs by decreasing the number of genera and increasing the number of species. The change in genera ranged between 8 and 18% and in species between 27 and 68 % due to the presence/absence of species in samples. Nevertheless, neither the richness nor the diversity showed significant differences for any of the reefs. Montastrea cavernosa y M. annularis are still the dominant species in the community with relative coral cover higher than 20 %. Quantified richness and absolute coral cover during 2002 followed the degradation gradient documented in the past, being the values smaller in the Santa Marta’s reefs and higher in the Tayrona´s. However, absolute percentage coral cover lost showed an inverse pattern, being PB (6 %) the least affected, followed by MO (12.6 %), GR (14.6 %) and being GA (22 %) the most affected. Dead coral in PB and MO was replaced by sponges which cover increased significantly over time; meanwhile in GR and GA, dead coral doesn’t seem to have been replaced by other groups. The scleractinian coral cover lost suggests a significant temporal change in the community structure toward a grater degradation state, which might be shifting reef’s function.

The association between coral communities and disease assemblages in the Wakatobi Marine National Park, south-eastern Sulawesi, Indonesia

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf14192 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 66 (10) ◽

pp. 948 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

J. Haapkylä ◽

J. Melbourne-Thomas ◽

M. Flavell

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

National Park ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Coral Disease ◽

Monitoring Program ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Coral Community ◽

Disease Prevalence ◽

Dramatic Decline ◽

Coral Communities

The relationship between coral community structure and disease prevalence is poorly understood, particularly in the Coral Triangle. Improved understanding of this relationship will assist in identifying assemblages that might be particularly vulnerable to disease, and in predicting possible future impacts. Here, we report results from the last 2 years (2010 and 2011) of a 4-year coral disease-monitoring program (2005, 2007, 2010, 2011) in the Wakatobi Marine National Park (Indonesia), and evaluate changes in total disease prevalence and coral cover since 2005. A comparison with previously published results from 2005 and 2007 indicates that the number of coral diseases increased from two to eight and total disease prevalence tripled between 2005 and 2011. We observed a dramatic decline in coral cover and an increase in disease prevalence at a site with a unique community of foliose corals. However, because of the 3-year period between surveys (2007, 2010), it is likely that the peak of the disease event was not observed. While multi-year studies provide useful insights into the relationships between community structure and disease, our results emphasise how determining the drivers of change in remote reef locations is especially challenging if events such as disease outbreaks are missed.

Patterns of coral community structure of subtropical reefs in the Solitary Islands Marine Reserve, Eastern Australia

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps111067 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 111 ◽

pp. 67-76

Author(s):

VJ Harriott ◽

SDA Smith ◽

PL Harrison

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Marine Reserve ◽

Coral Community ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

Subtropical Reefs