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Lange ID, Razak TB, Perry CT, Maulana PB, Prasetya ME, Irwan, Lamont TA. Coral restoration can drive rapid reef carbonate budget recovery. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1341-1348.e3. [PMID: 38460511 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024]
Abstract
Restoration is increasingly seen as a necessary tool to reverse ecological decline across terrestrial and marine ecosystems.1,2 Considering the unprecedented loss of coral cover and associated reef ecosystem services, active coral restoration is gaining traction in local management strategies and has recently seen major increases in scale. However, the extent to which coral restoration may restore key reef functions is poorly understood.3,4 Carbonate budgets, defined as the balance between calcium carbonate production and erosion, influence a reef's ability to provide important geo-ecological functions including structural complexity, reef framework production, and vertical accretion.5 Here we present the first assessment of reef carbonate budget trajectories at restoration sites. The study was conducted at one of the world's largest coral restoration programs, which transplants healthy coral fragments onto hexagonal metal frames to consolidate degraded rubble fields.6 Within 4 years, fast coral growth supports a rapid recovery of coral cover (from 17% ± 2% to 56% ± 4%), substrate rugosity (from 1.3 ± 0.1 to 1.7 ± 0.1) and carbonate production (from 7.2 ± 1.6 to 20.7 ± 2.2 kg m-2 yr-1). Four years after coral transplantation, net carbonate budgets have tripled and are indistinguishable from healthy control sites (19.1 ± 3.1 and 18.7 ± 2.2 kg m-2 yr-1, respectively). However, taxa-level contributions to carbonate production differ between restored and healthy reefs due to the preferential use of branching corals for transplantation. While longer observation times are necessary to observe any self-organization ability of restored reefs (natural recruitment, resilience to thermal stress), we demonstrate the potential of large-scale, well-managed coral restoration projects to recover important ecosystem functions within only 4 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines D Lange
- Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ, UK.
| | - Tries B Razak
- Research Centre for Oceanography, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta Pusat 10340, Indonesia; School of Coral Reef Restoration (SCORES), Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, IPB University, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
| | - Chris T Perry
- Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ, UK
| | | | | | - Irwan
- Mars Sustainable Solutions, Makassar 90224, Indonesia
| | - Timothy Ac Lamont
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, UK
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2
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Kahng SE, Odle E, Wakeman KC. Coral geometry and why it matters. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17037. [PMID: 38436029 PMCID: PMC10909345 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Clonal organisms like reef building corals exhibit a wide variety of colony morphologies and geometric shapes which can have many physiological and ecological implications. Colony geometry can dictate the relationship between dimensions of volume, surface area, and length, and their associated growth parameters. For calcifying organisms, there is the added dimension of two distinct components of growth, biomass production and calcification. For reef building coral, basic geometric shapes can be used to model the inherent mathematical relationships between various growth parameters and how colony geometry determines which relationships are size-dependent or size-independent. Coral linear extension rates have traditionally been assumed to be size-independent. However, even with a constant calcification rate, extension rates can vary as a function of colony size by virtue of its geometry. Whether the ratio between mass and surface area remains constant or changes with colony size is the determining factor. For some geometric shapes, the coupling of biomass production (proportional to surface area productivity) and calcification (proportional to volume) can cause one aspect of growth to geometrically constrain the other. The nature of this relationship contributes to a species' life history strategy and has important ecological implications. At one extreme, thin diameter branching corals can maximize growth in surface area and resource acquisition potential, but this geometry requires high biomass production to cover the fast growth in surface area. At the other extreme, growth in large, hemispheroidal corals can be constrained by calcification. These corals grow surface area relatively slowly, thereby retaining a surplus capacity for biomass production which can be allocated towards other anabolic processes. For hemispheroidal corals, the rate of surface area growth rapidly decreases as colony size increases. This ontogenetic relationship underlies the success of microfragmentation used to accelerate restoration of coral cover. However, ontogenetic changes in surface area productivity only applies to certain coral geometries where surface area to volume ratios decrease with colony size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel E. Kahng
- Oceanography, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, United States of America
- Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Kikai Institute for Coral Reef Science, Kikai, Japan
| | - Eric Odle
- Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kevin C. Wakeman
- Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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Oron S, Friedlander AM, Sala E, Goodman-Tchernov BN. Shallow water foraminifera from Niue and Beveridge Reef (South Pacific): insights into ecological significance and ecosystem integrity. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:230997. [PMID: 38204782 PMCID: PMC10776231 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Niue represents one of many important steppingstones facilitating the dispersal of marine organisms across the tropical Pacific Ocean. This study is part of a collaborative expedition involving National Geographic Pristine Seas, the government of Niue, Oceans 5, and the Pacific Community. We present the first survey documenting the species richness of foraminiferal communities in Niue and nearby Beveridge Reef and explore their significance for ecosystem integrity. A substantial portion (59%) of Niue's foraminiferal assemblages is Large Benthic Foraminifera (LBF), a symbiont-bearing group known as ecosystem engineers and indicators of coral reef regime shifts. LBF species reported here reflect the gradual decrease of tropical diversity from the Coral Triangle towards the central Pacific Ocean. Calcarinidae, an LBF family represented in this study by two species, is the easternmost ever recorded in published literature, and the biogeographical dispersal of this temperature-controlled group is of great importance to future global warming related studies. Foraminifera are an important component of beach development in Niue, with a close relationship between source and depositional zones. These essential ecological-sedimentary linkages highlight the importance of habitat conservation not only as a means to safeguard biodiversity, but also for its role in the island's physical framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shai Oron
- Department of Marine Geosciences, University of Haifa, Leon Charney School of Marine Sciences, Haifa, Israel
- The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, Eilat 8828058, Israel
| | - Alan M. Friedlander
- Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society, Washington, DC, USA
- Hawaiʿi Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaiʿi, Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʿi, USA
| | - Enric Sala
- Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Beverly N. Goodman-Tchernov
- Department of Marine Geosciences, University of Haifa, Leon Charney School of Marine Sciences, Haifa, Israel
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4
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Lucas CC, Lima IC, Garcia TM, Tavares TCL, Carneiro PBM, Teixeira CEP, Bejarano S, Rossi S, Soares MO. Turbidity buffers coral bleaching under extreme wind and rainfall conditions. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 192:106215. [PMID: 37890231 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Coral reefs in turbid waters have been hypothesized to be a refuge from climate change. These naturally occurring communities were brought into the spotlight because some of their species exhibited record levels of resistance to marine heatwaves (MHWs) by disturbance-tolerant corals. However, long-term monitoring data on the drivers of coral bleaching in these extreme reef habitats are scarce. Here, we describe the population structure and bleaching rates of a widespread and resilient coral (Siderastrea stellata). We examine the links between environmental factors, namely, rainfall, wind speed, turbidity, solar irradiance, sea surface temperature, MHWs, and coral bleaching status under the worst recorded drought cycle in the Tropical South Atlantic (2013-2015). We examined 2880 colonies, most of which (∼93%) fit in the size group of 2-10 cm, with a small number (∼1%) of larger and older colonies (>20 cm). The results indicated the absence of MHWs and normal sea surface temperature variations (between 26.6 °C and 29.3 °C), however, we detected an extreme rainfall deficit (30-40% less annual volume precipitation). In general, a high proportion (44-84%) of bleached colonies was found throughout the months when turbidity decreased. Siderastrea is the only reef-building coral that comprises this seascape with encrusting and low-relief colonies. During drought periods, cloudiness is reduced, turbidity and wind speed are reduced, and solar irradiance increase, driving coral bleaching in turbid reefs. However, episodic rainfall and higher wind speeds increase turbidity and decrease coral bleaching. Our hypothesis is that turbidity decreases during drought periods which increases bleaching risk to corals even without thermal stress. Our results suggest that turbidity may have related to wind and rainfall to provoke the coral bleaching phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Costa Lucas
- Institute of Marine Sciences (LABOMAR), Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Brazil.
| | - Italo Cesar Lima
- Institute of Marine Sciences (LABOMAR), Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Tatiane Martins Garcia
- Institute of Marine Sciences (LABOMAR), Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Sonia Bejarano
- Reef Systems Group, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Fahrenheitstraße 6, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Sergio Rossi
- Institute of Marine Sciences (LABOMAR), Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Brazil; Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Cerdanyolla del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain; Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche e Ambientali (DISTEBA), Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Marcelo O Soares
- Institute of Marine Sciences (LABOMAR), Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Brazil; Reef Systems Group, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Fahrenheitstraße 6, 28359 Bremen, Germany
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5
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Zampa G, Azzola A, Bianchi CN, Morri C, Oprandi A, Montefalcone M. Patterns of change in coral reef communities of a remote Maldivian atoll revisited after eleven years. PeerJ 2023; 11:e16071. [PMID: 38077433 PMCID: PMC10710173 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs are exposed worldwide to several global and local human pressures including climate change and coastal development. Assessing the effects of such pressures on coral reef communities and the changes they undergo over time is mandatory to understand their possible future trends. Nonetheless, some coral reefs receive no or little scientific attention, as in the case of Huvadhoo Atoll that is an under-studied region in the southernmost area of the Maldives (Indian Ocean). This study analyzes the changes occurring over time in eight coral reefs (four inner reefs within the atoll lagoon and four outer reefs on the ocean side) at Huvadhoo Atoll, firstly surveyed in 2009 and revisited in 2020 using the same field methods. The cover of 23 morphological benthic descriptors (including different growth forms of Acropora) was taken into account and then grouped into three categories (i.e., hard coral, other benthic taxa and abiotic descriptors) to analyze the change in the composition of the coral reef community. Significant changes (e.g., increase in hard coral cover and decrease in abiotic descriptors) were observed in the inner reefs as compared to the outer reefs, which showed less variability. A significant decrease in tabular Acropora cover was observed in both inner and outer reefs, with possible negative effects on reef complexity and functioning. By comparing two time periods and two reef types, this study provides novel information on the change over time in the community composition of Maldivian coral reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greta Zampa
- BiGeA, Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Annalisa Azzola
- Seascape Ecology Laboratory, DiSTAV, Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Carlo Nike Bianchi
- Seascape Ecology Laboratory, DiSTAV, Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology (EMI), Ecology and Biotechnology, Genoa Marine Centre, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn –National Institute of Marine Biology, Genoa, Italy
| | - Carla Morri
- Seascape Ecology Laboratory, DiSTAV, Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology (EMI), Ecology and Biotechnology, Genoa Marine Centre, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn –National Institute of Marine Biology, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alice Oprandi
- Seascape Ecology Laboratory, DiSTAV, Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Monica Montefalcone
- Seascape Ecology Laboratory, DiSTAV, Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
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Medellín-Maldonado F, Cruz-Ortega I, Pérez-Cervantes E, Norzogaray-López O, Carricart-Ganivet JP, López-Pérez A, Alvarez-Filip L. Newly deceased Caribbean reef-building corals experience rapid carbonate loss and colonization by endolithic organisms. Commun Biol 2023; 6:934. [PMID: 37699971 PMCID: PMC10497637 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05301-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Coral mortality triggers the loss of carbonates fixed within coral skeletons, compromising the reef matrix. Here, we estimate rates of carbonate loss in newly deceased colonies of four Caribbean reef-building corals. We use samples from living and recently deceased colonies following a stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) outbreak. Optical densitometry and porosity analyses reveal a loss of up to 40% of the calcium carbonate (CaCO3) content in dead colonies. The metabolic activity of the endolithic organisms colonizing the dead skeletons is likely partially responsible for the observed dissolution. To test for the consequences of mass mortality events over larger spatial scales, we integrate our estimates of carbonate loss with field data of the composition and size structure of coral communities. The dissolution rate depends on the relative abundance of coral species and the structural properties of their skeletons, yet we estimate an average reduction of 1.33 kg CaCO3 m-2, nearly 7% of the total amount of CaCO3 sequestered in the entire system. Our findings highlight the importance of including biological and chemical processes of CaCO3 dissolution in reef carbonate budgets, particularly as the impacts of global warming, ocean acidification, and disease likely enhance dissolution processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Medellín-Maldonado
- Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Ciudad Universitaria 3000, Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
- Biodiversity and Reef Conservation Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales en Puerto Morelos, ICML, UNAM, 77580, Puerto Morelos, Mexico.
- Laboratorio de Arrecifes y Biodiversidad, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, 09340, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Israel Cruz-Ortega
- Laboratorio de Esclerocronología de Corales Arrecifales, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales en Puerto Morelos, ICML, UNAM, 77580, Puerto Morelos, Mexico
| | - Esmeralda Pérez-Cervantes
- Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Ciudad Universitaria 3000, Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Orion Norzogaray-López
- Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas y Facultad de Ciencias Marinas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, 22860, Ensenada, BC, Mexico
| | - Juan P Carricart-Ganivet
- Laboratorio de Esclerocronología de Corales Arrecifales, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales en Puerto Morelos, ICML, UNAM, 77580, Puerto Morelos, Mexico
| | - Andrés López-Pérez
- Laboratorio de Arrecifes y Biodiversidad, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, 09340, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip
- Biodiversity and Reef Conservation Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales en Puerto Morelos, ICML, UNAM, 77580, Puerto Morelos, Mexico
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7
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Mendoza Quiroz S, Tecalco Renteria R, Ramírez Tapia GG, Miller MW, Grosso-Becerra MV, Banaszak AT. Coral affected by stony coral tissue loss disease can produce viable offspring. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15519. [PMID: 37465157 PMCID: PMC10351504 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has caused high mortality of at least 25 coral species across the Caribbean, with Pseudodiploria strigosa being the second most affected species in the Mexican Caribbean. The resulting decreased abundance and colony density reduces the fertilization potential of SCTLD-susceptible species. Therefore, larval-based restoration could be of great benefit, though precautionary concerns about disease transmission may foster reluctance to implement this approach with SCTLD-susceptible species. We evaluated the performance of offspring obtained by crossing gametes of a healthy P. strigosa colony (100% apparently healthy tissue) with that of a colony affected by SCTLD (>50% tissue loss) and compared these with prior crosses between healthy parents. Fertilization and settlement were as high as prior crosses among healthy parents, and post-settlement survivorship over a year in outdoor tanks was 7.8%. After thirteen months, the diseased-parent recruits were outplanted to a degraded reef. Their survivorship was ∼44% and their growth rate was 0.365 mm ± 1.29 SD per month. This study shows that even diseased parent colonies can be effective in assisted sexual reproduction for the restoration of species affected by SCTLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Mendoza Quiroz
- SECORE International, Miami, FL, United States of America
- Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, México
| | - Raúl Tecalco Renteria
- SECORE International, Miami, FL, United States of America
- Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, México
| | - Gandhi Germán Ramírez Tapia
- SECORE International, Miami, FL, United States of America
- Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, México
| | | | - Maria Victoria Grosso-Becerra
- Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, México
| | - Anastazia T. Banaszak
- Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, México
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Elahi R, Edmunds PJ, Gates RD, Kuffner IB, Barnes BB, Chollett I, Courtney TA, Guest JR, Lenz EA, Toth LT, Viehman TS, Williams ID. Scale dependence of coral reef oases and their environmental correlates. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2651. [PMID: 35538862 PMCID: PMC9787915 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Identifying relatively intact areas within ecosystems and determining the conditions favoring their existence is necessary for effective management in the context of widespread environmental degradation. In this study, we used 3766 surveys of randomly selected sites in the United States and U.S. Territories to identify the correlates of sites categorized as "oases" (defined as sites with relatively high total coral cover). We used occupancy models to evaluate the influence of 10 environmental predictors on the probability that an area (21.2-km2 cell) would harbor coral oases defined at four spatial extents: cross-basin, basin, region, and subregion. Across all four spatial extents, oases were more likely to occur in habitats with high light attenuation. The influence of the other environmental predictors on the probability of oasis occurrence were less consistent and varied with the scale of observation. Oases were most likely in areas of low human population density, but this effect was evident only at the cross-basin and subregional extents. At the regional and subregional extents oases were more likely where sea-surface temperature was more variable, whereas at the larger spatial extents the opposite was true. By identifying the correlates of oasis occurrence, the model can inform the prioritization of reef areas for management. Areas with biophysical conditions that confer corals with physiological resilience, as well as limited human impacts, likely support coral reef oases across spatial extents. Our approach is widely applicable to the development of conservation strategies to protect biodiversity and ecosystems in an era of magnified human disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Elahi
- Hopkins Marine StationStanford UniversityPacific GroveCaliforniaUSA
| | - Peter J. Edmunds
- Department of BiologyCalifornia State UniversityNorthridgeCaliforniaUSA
| | - Ruth D. Gates
- Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine BiologyUniversity of Hawaiʻi at MānoaKāneʻoheHawaiiUSA
| | - Ilsa B. Kuffner
- U.S. Geological SurveySt. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science CenterSt. PetersburgFloridaUSA
| | - Brian B. Barnes
- College of Marine ScienceUniversity of South FloridaSt. PetersburgFloridaUSA
| | | | - Travis A. Courtney
- Scripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Marine SciencesUniversity of Puerto Rico MayagüezMayagüezPuerto RicoUSA
| | - James R. Guest
- School of Natural and Environmental SciencesNewcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUK
| | - Elizabeth A. Lenz
- University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College ProgramUniversity of Hawaiʻi at MānoaHonoluluHawaiiUSA
| | - Lauren T. Toth
- U.S. Geological SurveySt. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science CenterSt. PetersburgFloridaUSA
| | - T. Shay Viehman
- National Centers for Coastal Ocean ScienceNational Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationBeaufortNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Ivor D. Williams
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science CenterNational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationHonoluluHawaiiUSA
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9
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Toth LT, Courtney TA, Colella MA, Kupfner Johnson SA, Ruzicka RR. The past, present, and future of coral reef growth in the Florida Keys. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:5294-5309. [PMID: 35789026 PMCID: PMC9542952 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Coral-reef degradation is driving global-scale reductions in reef-building capacity and the ecological, geological, and socioeconomic functions it supports. The persistence of those essential functions will depend on whether coral-reef management is able to rebalance the competing processes of reef accretion and erosion. Here, we reconstructed census-based carbonate budgets of 46 reefs throughout the Florida Keys from 1996 to 2019. We evaluated the environmental and ecological drivers of changing budget states and compared historical trends in reef-accretion potential to millennial-scale baselines of accretion from reef cores and future projections with coral restoration. We found that historically, most reefs had positive carbonate budgets, and many had reef-accretion potential comparable to the ~3 mm year-1 average accretion rate during the peak of regional reef building ~7000 years ago; however, declines in reef-building Acropora palmata and Orbicella spp. corals following a series of thermal stress events and coral disease outbreaks resulted in a shift from positive to negative budgets for most reefs in the region. By 2019, only ~15% of reefs had positive net carbonate production. Most of those reefs were in inshore, Lower Keys patch-reef habitats with low water clarity, supporting the hypothesis that environments with naturally low irradiance may provide a refugia from thermal stress. We caution that our estimated carbonate budgets are likely overly optimistic; comparison of reef-accretion potential to measured accretion from reef cores suggests that, by not accounting for the role of nonbiological physical and chemical erosion, census-based carbonate budgets may underestimate total erosion by ~1 mm year-1 (-1.15 kg CaCO3 m-2 year-1 ). Although the present state of Florida's reefs is dire, we demonstrate that the restoration of reef-building corals has the potential to help mitigate declines in reef accretion in some locations, which could allow some key ecosystem functions to be maintained until the threat of global climate change is addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren T. Toth
- U.S. Geological SurveySt. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science CenterSt. PetersburgFloridaUSA
| | - Travis A. Courtney
- Scripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Marine SciencesUniversity of Puerto Rico MayagüezMayagüezPuerto Rico
| | - Michael A. Colella
- Fish & Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation CommissionSt. PetersburgFloridaUSA
| | | | - Robert R. Ruzicka
- Fish & Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation CommissionSt. PetersburgFloridaUSA
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10
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Carturan BS, Parrott L, Pither J. Functional Richness and Resilience in Coral Reef Communities. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.780406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Within the Anthropocene the functional diversity of coral communities is changing rapidly, putting the resilience of many coral reef ecosystems in jeopardy. A better understanding of the relationship between coral functional diversity and reef resilience could reveal practical ways to achieve increased resilience. However, manipulating coral diversity experimentally is challenging, and consequently the links between coral functional diversity, resilience, and ecosystem functioning remain obscure. We used an ecologically detailed agent-based model to conduct a virtual experiment in which functional diversity was manipulated over the entire trait space of scleractinian corals. Using an imputed trait dataset of 798 coral species and eight key functional traits, we assembled 245 functionally distinct coral communities, which we subjected to a cyclone and bleaching event. We then measured four different aspects of their resilience and quantified for each measure the respective effect of (i) the functional richness (FRic), and (ii) community-weighted means (CWM) of four types of trait: effect, resistance, recovery, and competitive. FRic represents the volume occupied by a community in the functional space, while CWM indicates the location of the communities’ centroid in the functional space. We found a significant and positive effect of FRic on three measures of resilience: communities with higher FRic recovered surface cover faster and had more rugosity and cover 10 years after the disturbances. In contrast, the resistance of the coral community—i.e., the capacity to maintain surface cover when subjected to the disturbances—was independent of FRic and was determined primarily by the CWM of resistance traits. By analyzing community dynamics and functional trade-offs, we show that FRic increases resilience via the selection and the insurance effects due to the presence of competitive species in the functional space, i.e., those highly dominant species that contribute the most to the complexity of the habitat and recover quickly from disturbances. Building from the results of our experiment and the trait correlation analysis, we discuss the potential for FRic to serve as a proxy measure of resilience and we present a strategy that can provide direction to on-going reef restoration efforts, and pave the way for sustaining coral communities in a context of rapid global change.
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Medina-Valmaseda AE, Blanchon P, Alvarez-Filip L, Pérez-Cervantes E. Geomorphically controlled coral distribution in degraded shallow reefs of the Western Caribbean. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12590. [PMID: 35310164 PMCID: PMC8929170 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of coral reefs results from the interaction between ecological and geological processes in space and time. Their difference in scale, however, makes it difficult to detect the impact of ecological changes on geological reef development. The decline of coral cover over the last 50 years, for example, has dramatically impaired the function of ecological processes on reefs. Yet given the limited-resolution of their Holocene record, it is uncertain how this will impact accretion and structural integrity over longer timescales. In addition, reports of this ecological decline have focused on intrinsic parameters such as coral cover and colony size at the expense of extrinsic ones such as geomorphic and environmental variables. Despite these problems, several attempts have been made to predict the long-term accretion status of reefs based entirely on the contemporary health status of benthic communities. Here we explore how this ecological decline is represented within the reef geomorphic structure, which represents the long-term expression of reef development. Using a detailed geomorphic zonation scheme, we analyze the distribution and biodiversity of reef-building corals in fringing-reef systems of the Mesoamerican Reef tract. We find a depth-related pattern in community structure which shows that the relative species distribution between geomorphic zones is statistically different. Despite these differences, contemporary coral assemblages in all zones are dominated by the same group of pioneer generalist species. These findings imply that first, coral species distribution is still controlled by extrinsic processes that generate the geomorphic zonation; second, that coral biodiversity still reflects species zonation patterns reported by early studies; and third that dominance of pioneer species implies that modern coral assemblages are in a prolonged post-disturbance adjustment stage. In conclusion, any accurate assessment of the future viability of reefs requires a consideration of the geomorphic context or risks miscalculating the impact of ecological changes on long-term reef development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Enrique Medina-Valmaseda
- Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, Mexico,Reef Geoscience Group, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales Instituto de Ciencias de Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Paul Blanchon
- Reef Geoscience Group, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales Instituto de Ciencias de Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip
- Biodiversity and Reef Conservation Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales Instituto de Ciencias de Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Esmeralda Pérez-Cervantes
- Biodiversity and Reef Conservation Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales Instituto de Ciencias de Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
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12
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Baumann JH, Zhao L, Stier AC, Bruno JF. Remoteness does not enhance coral reef resilience. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:417-428. [PMID: 34668280 PMCID: PMC8671335 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Remote coral reefs are thought to be more resilient to climate change due to their isolation from local stressors like fishing and pollution. We tested this hypothesis by measuring the relationship between local human influence and coral community resilience. Surprisingly, we found no relationship between human influence and resistance to disturbance and some evidence that areas with greater human development may recover from disturbance faster than their more isolated counterparts. Our results suggest remote coral reefs are imperiled by climate change, like so many other geographically isolated ecosystems, and are unlikely to serve as effective biodiversity arks. Only drastic and rapid cuts in greenhouse gas emissions will ensure coral survival. Our results also indicate that some reefs close to large human populations were relatively resilient. Focusing research and conservation resources on these more accessible locations has the potential to provide new insights and maximize conservation outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin H. Baumann
- The Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599-3280 USA
- Department of Marine Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599-3300 USA
- Biology Department, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, 04011 USA
- Correspondence to: or
| | - Lily Zhao
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, The University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara CA, 93106-9620, USA
| | - Adrian C. Stier
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, The University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara CA, 93106-9620, USA
| | - John F. Bruno
- The Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599-3280 USA
- Correspondence to: or
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13
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González-Barrios FJ, Cabral-Tena RA, Alvarez-Filip L. Recovery disparity between coral cover and the physical functionality of reefs with impaired coral assemblages. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:640-651. [PMID: 33131196 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The ecology and structure of many tropical coral reefs have been markedly altered over the past few decades. Although long-term recovery has been observed in terms of coral cover, it is not clear how novel species configurations shape reef functionality in impaired reefs. The identities and life-history strategies of the corals species that recover are essential for understanding reef functional dynamics. We used a species identity approach to quantify the physical functionality outcomes over a 13 year period across 56 sites in the Mexican Caribbean. This region was affected by multiple stressors that converged and drastically damaged reefs in the early 2000s. Since then, the reefs have shown evidence of a modest recovery of coral cover. We used Bayesian linear models and annual rates of change to estimate temporal changes in physical functionality and coral cover. Moreover, a functional diversity framework was used to explore changes in coral composition and the traits of those assemblages. Between 2005 and 2018, physical functionality increased at a markedly lower rate compared to that of coral cover. The disparity between recovery rates depended on the identity of the species that increased (mainly non-framework and foliose-digitate corals). No changes in species dominance or functional trait composition were observed, whereas non-framework building corals consistently dominated most reefs. Although the observed recovery of coral cover and functional potential may provide some ecological benefits, the long-term effects on reef frameworks remain unclear, as changes in the cover of key reef-building species were not observed. Our findings are likely to be representative of many reefs across the wider Caribbean basin, as declines in coral cover and rapid increases in the relative abundance of weedy corals have been reported regionally. A coral identity approach to assess species turnover is needed to understand and quantify changes in the functionality of coral reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Javier González-Barrios
- Biodiversity and Reef Conservation Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, México
- Department of Marine Ecology, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Ensenada, México
| | - Rafael A Cabral-Tena
- Department of Marine Ecology, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Ensenada, México
| | - Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip
- Biodiversity and Reef Conservation Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, México
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14
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Medina-Valmaseda AE, Rodríguez-Martínez RE, Alvarez-Filip L, Jordan-Dahlgren E, Blanchon P. The role of geomorphic zonation in long-term changes in coral-community structure on a Caribbean fringing reef. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10103. [PMID: 33150066 PMCID: PMC7585725 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological processes on coral reefs commonly have limited spatial and temporal scales and may not be recorded in their long-term geological history. The widespread degradation of Caribbean coral reefs over the last 40 years therefore provides an opportunity to assess the impact of more significant ecological changes on the geological and geomorphic structure of reefs. Here, we document the changing ecology of communities in a coral reef seascape within the context of its geomorphic zonation. By comparing basic ecological indices between historical and modern data we show that in 35 years the reef-front zone was transformed from a complex coral assemblage with a three-dimensional structure, to a size-homogenized and flattened one that is quasi indistinguishable from the adjacent non-accretional coral-ground zone. Today coral assemblages at Punta Maroma are characterized by the dominance of opportunistic species which are either tolerant to adverse environmental conditions, including sedimentation, or are known to be the first scleractinian species to recruit on disturbed reefs, implying they reflect a post-hurricane stage of adjustment. Despite an increase in similarity in ecological indices, the reef-front and coral-ground geomorphic zones still retain significant differences in coral assemblages and benthic habitat and are not homogeneous. The partial convergence of coral assemblages certainly has important consequences for the ecology and geological viability of the reef and its role in coastal protection, but environmental physical drivers continue to exert a fundamental role in the character and zonation of benthic communities of this reef seascape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Enrique Medina-Valmaseda
- Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, Mexico.,Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Rosa E Rodríguez-Martínez
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Eric Jordan-Dahlgren
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Paul Blanchon
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
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15
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Predicting the Potential Distribution of Apple Canker Pathogen (Valsa mali) in China under Climate Change. FORESTS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/f11111126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Apple valsa canker (AVC), caused by Valsa mali, is a serious wood disease of apple trees. The pathogen decays the barks and branches of trees and ruins entire orchards under severe conditions. However, studies have rarely focused on the suitable habitat of the pathogen, especially on a relatively large scale. In this study, we applied the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt 3.4.1, Princeton, NJ, USA) to predict the distribution of V. mali using climate factors, topographic factors, and soil factors under current and future climate scenarios. We measured the area of suitable habitat, change ratio of the suitable habitat area, increase and decrease maps under climate change, direction and distance of range shifts from the present to the end of the 21st century, and the contribution of environmental variables. The results showed that the area of suitable habitat is currently 183.46 × 104 km2 in China, among which 27.54% is moderately suitable habitat (MSH) and 13.13% is highly suitable habitat (HSH). Compared with current distribution, the area of MSH and HSH increases in future and the change ratio are positive. The Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) 3–70 is considered the optimum climate scenario for V. mali. The suitability of V. mali increased mainly in Northwest, North, and Northeast China. V. mali will shift to the northwest with climate change. The shift distance optimistically increased from the SSP1–26 to the SSP5–85, with the biggest shift distance of 758.44 km in the 2090s under the SSP5–85 scenario. Minimum temperature of the coldest month (bio6) was the most critical climate factor affecting the distribution of the pathogen, and topographic factors played a more important role than soil factors. This study demonstrates that the potential distribution of V. mali is vitally affected by climate change and provides a method for large–scale research on the distribution of pathogens.
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16
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Tortolero-Langarica JJA, Rodríguez-Troncoso AP, Cupul-Magaña AL, Rinkevich B. Micro-Fragmentation as an Effective and Applied Tool to Restore Remote Reefs in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17186574. [PMID: 32916999 PMCID: PMC7558289 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17186574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Coral reef ecosystems are continuously degraded by anthropogenic and climate change drivers, causing a widespread decline in reef biodiversity and associated goods and services. In response, active restoration methodologies and practices have been developed globally to compensate for losses due to reef degradation. Yet, most activities employ the gardening concept that uses coral nurseries, and are centered in easily-accessible reefs, with existing infrastructure, and impractical for coral reefs in remote locations. Here we evaluate the effectiveness of direct outplanting of coral micro-fragments (Pavona clavus and Pocillopora spp.) as a novel approach to restore remote reefs in the Islas Marías archipelago in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Coral growth (height-width-tissue cover), survival percentage, extension rates (cm year−1), skeletal density (g cm−3) and calcification rates (g cm−2 year−1) were assessed over 13 months of restoration. In spite of detrimental effects of Hurricane Willa, transplants showed a greater-than-twofold increase in all growth metrics, with ~58–61% survival rate and fast self-attachment (within ~3.9 months) for studied species, with Pocilloporids exhibiting higher extension, skeletal density, and calcification rates than Pavona. While comprehensive long-term studies are required, direct transplantation methodologies of coral micro-fragments are emerging as time-effective and affordable restoration tools to mitigate anthropogenic and climate change impacts in remote and marginal reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. J. Adolfo Tortolero-Langarica
- Tecnológico Nacional de México/IT Bahía de Banderas, Crucero a Punta de Mita S/N, Bahía de Banderas, C.P., Nayarit 63734, Mexico
- Correspondence: (J.J.A.T.-L.); (B.R.)
| | - Alma P. Rodríguez-Troncoso
- Laboratorio de Ecología Marina, Centro de Investigaciones Costeras, Centro Universitario de la Costa, Universidad de Guadalajara. Av. Universidad No. 203, Puerto Vallarta, C.P., Jalisco 48280, Mexico; (A.P.R.-T.); (A.L.C.-M.)
| | - Amílcar L. Cupul-Magaña
- Laboratorio de Ecología Marina, Centro de Investigaciones Costeras, Centro Universitario de la Costa, Universidad de Guadalajara. Av. Universidad No. 203, Puerto Vallarta, C.P., Jalisco 48280, Mexico; (A.P.R.-T.); (A.L.C.-M.)
| | - Baruch Rinkevich
- Israel Oceanography and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Tel Shikmona, P.O. Box 8030, Haifa 31080, Israel
- Correspondence: (J.J.A.T.-L.); (B.R.)
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17
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Multi-Temporal UAV Data and Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) for Estimation of Substrate Changes in a Post-Bleaching Scenario on a Maldivian Reef. REMOTE SENSING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/rs12132093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Coral reefs are declining worldwide as a result of the effects of multiple natural and anthropogenic stressors, including regional-scale temperature-induced coral bleaching. Such events have caused significant coral mortality, leading to an evident structural collapse of reefs and shifts in associated benthic communities. In this scenario, reasonable mapping techniques and best practices are critical to improving data collection to describe spatial and temporal patterns of coral reefs after a significant bleaching impact. Our study employed the potential of a consumer-grade drone, coupled with structure from motion and object-based image analysis to investigate for the first time a tool to monitor changes in substrate composition and the associated deterioration in reef environments in a Maldivian shallow-water coral reef. Three key substrate types (hard coral, coral rubble and sand) were detected with high accuracy on high-resolution orthomosaics collected from four sub-areas. Multi-temporal acquisition of UAV data allowed us to compare the classified maps over time (February 2017, November 2018) and obtain evidence of the relevant deterioration in structural complexity of flat reef environments that occurred after the 2016 mass bleaching event. We believe that our proposed methodology offers a cost-effective procedure that is well suited to generate maps for the long-term monitoring of changes in substrate type and reef complexity in shallow water.
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18
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Fontoura L, Zawada KJA, D'agata S, Álvarez-Noriega M, Baird AH, Boutros N, Dornelas M, Luiz OJ, Madin JS, Maina JM, Pizarro O, Torres-Pulliza D, Woods RM, Madin EMP. Climate-driven shift in coral morphological structure predicts decline of juvenile reef fishes. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:557-567. [PMID: 31697006 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Rapid intensification of environmental disturbances has sparked widespread decline and compositional shifts in foundation species in ecosystems worldwide. Now, an emergent challenge is to understand the consequences of shifts and losses in such habitat-forming species for associated communities and ecosystem processes. Recently, consecutive coral bleaching events shifted the morphological makeup of habitat-forming coral assemblages on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Considering the disparity of coral morphological growth forms in shelter provision for reef fishes, we investigated how shifts in the morphological structure of coral assemblages affect the abundance of juvenile and adult reef fishes. We used a temporal dataset from shallow reefs in the northern GBR to estimate coral convexity (a fine-scale quantitative morphological trait) and two widely used coral habitat descriptors (coral cover and reef rugosity) for disentangling the effects of coral morphology on reef fish assemblages. Changes in coral convexity, rather than live coral cover or reef rugosity, disproportionately affected juvenile reef fishes when compared to adults, and explained more than 20% of juvenile decline. The magnitude of this effect varied by fish body size with juveniles of small-bodied species showing higher vulnerability to changes in coral morphology. Our findings suggest that continued large-scale shifts in the relative abundance of morphological groups within coral assemblages are likely to affect population replenishment and dynamics of future reef fish communities. The different responses of juvenile and adult fishes according to habitat descriptors indicate that focusing on coarse-scale metrics alone may mask fine-scale ecological responses that are key to understand ecosystem functioning and resilience. Nonetheless, quantifying coral morphological traits may contribute to forecasting the structure of reef fish communities on novel reef ecosystems shaped by climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Fontoura
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i, Kāne'ohe, HI, USA
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University - Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Kyle J A Zawada
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University - Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Biological Diversity, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK
| | - Stephanie D'agata
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University - Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Marine Programs, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Mariana Álvarez-Noriega
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld., Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld., Australia
| | - Andrew H Baird
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld., Australia
| | - Nader Boutros
- Australian Centre for Field Robotics, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Maria Dornelas
- Centre for Biological Diversity, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK
| | - Osmar J Luiz
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
| | - Joshua S Madin
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i, Kāne'ohe, HI, USA
| | - Joseph M Maina
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University - Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Oscar Pizarro
- Australian Centre for Field Robotics, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Damaris Torres-Pulliza
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i, Kāne'ohe, HI, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University - Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Rachael M Woods
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University - Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Elizabeth M P Madin
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i, Kāne'ohe, HI, USA
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19
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de Bakker DM, van Duyl FC, Perry CT, Meesters EH. Extreme spatial heterogeneity in carbonate accretion potential on a Caribbean fringing reef linked to local human disturbance gradients. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:4092-4104. [PMID: 31566878 PMCID: PMC6899606 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2018] [Revised: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The capacity of coral reefs to maintain their structurally complex frameworks and to retain the potential for vertical accretion is vitally important to the persistence of their ecological functioning and the ecosystem services they sustain. However, datasets to support detailed along-coast assessments of framework production rates and accretion potential do not presently exist. Here, we estimate, based on gross bioaccretion and bioerosion measures, the carbonate budgets and resultant estimated accretion rates (EAR) of the shallow reef zone of leeward Bonaire - between 5 and 12 m depth - at unique fine spatial resolution along this coast (115 sites). Whilst the fringing reef of Bonaire is often reported to be in a better ecological condition than most sites throughout the wider Caribbean region, our data show that the carbonate budgets of the reefs and derived EAR varied considerably across this ~58 km long fringing reef complex. Some areas, in particular the marine reserves, were indeed still dominated by structurally complex coral communities with high net carbonate production (>10 kg CaCO3 m-2 year-1 ), high live coral cover and complex structural topography. The majority of the studied sites, however, were defined by relatively low budget states (<2 kg CaCO3 m-2 year-1 ) or were in a state of net erosion. These data highlight the marked spatial heterogeneity that can occur in budget states, and thus in reef accretion potential, even between quite closely spaced areas of individual reef complexes. This heterogeneity is linked strongly to the degree of localized land-based impacts along the coast, and resultant differences in the abundance of reef framework building coral species. The major impact of this variability is that those sections of reef defined by low-accretion rates will have limited capacity to maintain their structural integrity and to keep pace with current projections of climate change induced sea-level rise (SLR), thus posing a threat to reef functioning and biodiversity, potentially leading to trophic cascades. Since many Caribbean reefs are more severely degraded than those found around Bonaire, it is to be expected that the findings presented here are rather the rule than the exception, but the study also highlights the need for similar high spatial resolution (along-coast) assessments of budget states and accretion rates to meaningfully explore increasing coastal risk at the country level. The findings also more generally underline the significance of reducing local anthropogenic disturbance and restoring framework building coral assemblages. Appropriately focussed local preservation efforts may aid in averting future large-scale above reef water depth increases on Caribbean coral reefs and will limit the social and economic implications associated with the loss of reef goods and services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didier M. de Bakker
- Wageningen Marine ResearchDen HelderThe Netherlands
- Marine Microbiology and BiogeochemistryNIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht UniversityTexelThe Netherlands
| | - Fleur C. van Duyl
- Marine Microbiology and BiogeochemistryNIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht UniversityTexelThe Netherlands
| | - Chris T. Perry
- GeographyCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
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20
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Alvarez-Filip L, Estrada-Saldívar N, Pérez-Cervantes E, Molina-Hernández A, González-Barrios FJ. A rapid spread of the stony coral tissue loss disease outbreak in the Mexican Caribbean. PeerJ 2019; 7:e8069. [PMID: 31788355 PMCID: PMC6883952 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Caribbean reef corals have experienced unprecedented declines from climate change, anthropogenic stressors and infectious diseases in recent decades. Since 2014, a highly lethal, new disease, called stony coral tissue loss disease, has impacted many reef-coral species in Florida. During the summer of 2018, we noticed an anomalously high disease prevalence affecting different coral species in the northern portion of the Mexican Caribbean. We assessed the severity of this outbreak in 2018/2019 using the AGRRA coral protocol to survey 82 reef sites across the Mexican Caribbean. Then, using a subset of 14 sites, we detailed information from before the outbreak (2016/2017) to explore the consequences of the disease on the condition and composition of coral communities. Our findings show that the disease outbreak has already spread across the entire region by affecting similar species (with similar disease patterns) to those previously described for Florida. However, we observed a great variability in prevalence and tissue mortality that was not attributable to any geographical gradient. Using long-term data, we determined that there is no evidence of such high coral disease prevalence anywhere in the region before 2018, which suggests that the entire Mexican Caribbean was afflicted by the disease within a few months. The analysis of sites that contained pre-outbreak information showed that this event considerably increased coral mortality and severely changed the structure of coral communities in the region. Given the high prevalence and lethality of this disease, and the high number of susceptible species, we encourage reef researchers, managers and stakeholders across the Western Atlantic to accord it the highest priority for the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip
- Biodiversity and Reef Conservation Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Nuria Estrada-Saldívar
- Biodiversity and Reef Conservation Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Esmeralda Pérez-Cervantes
- Biodiversity and Reef Conservation Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Ana Molina-Hernández
- Biodiversity and Reef Conservation Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Francisco J. González-Barrios
- Biodiversity and Reef Conservation Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
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21
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Estrada-Saldívar N, Jordán-Dalhgren E, Rodríguez-Martínez RE, Perry C, Alvarez-Filip L. Functional consequences of the long-term decline of reef-building corals in the Caribbean: evidence of across-reef functional convergence. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:190298. [PMID: 31824686 PMCID: PMC6837220 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Functional integrity on coral reefs is strongly dependent upon coral cover and coral carbonate production rate being sufficient to maintain three-dimensional reef structures. Increasing environmental and anthropogenic pressures in recent decades have reduced the cover of key reef-building species, producing a shift towards the relative dominance of more stress-tolerant taxa and leading to a reduction in the physical functional integrity. Understanding how changes in coral community composition influence the potential of reefs to maintain their physical reef functioning is a priority for their conservation and management. Here, we evaluate how coral communities have changed in the northern sector of the Mexican Caribbean between 1985 and 2016, and the implications for the maintenance of physical reef functions in the back- and fore-reef zones. We used the cover of coral species to explore changes in four morpho-functional groups, coral community composition, coral community calcification, the reef functional index and the reef carbonate budget. Over a period of 31 years, ecological homogenization occurred between the two reef zones mostly due to a reduction in the cover of framework-building branching (Acropora spp.) and foliose-digitiform (Porites porites and Agaricia tenuifolia) coral species in the back-reef, and a relative increase in non-framework species in the fore-reef (Agaricia agaricites and Porites astreoides). This resulted in a significant decrease in the physical functionality of the back-reef zone. At present, both reef zones have negative carbonate budgets, and thus limited capacity to sustain reef accretion, compromising the existing reef structure and its future capacity to provide habitat and environmental services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuria Estrada-Saldívar
- Biodiversity and Reef Conservation Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, México
- Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Ciudad Universitaria 3000, CP 04510 Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Eric Jordán-Dalhgren
- Coral Ecology Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, México
| | - Rosa E. Rodríguez-Martínez
- Coral Ecology Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, México
| | - Chris Perry
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ, UK
| | - Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip
- Biodiversity and Reef Conservation Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, México
- Author for correspondence: Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip e-mail:
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22
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Toth LT, Stathakopoulos A, Kuffner IB, Ruzicka RR, Colella MA, Shinn EA. The unprecedented loss of Florida's reef-building corals and the emergence of a novel coral-reef assemblage. Ecology 2019; 100:e02781. [PMID: 31170313 PMCID: PMC6851685 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2018] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Over the last half century, climate change, coral disease, and other anthropogenic disturbances have restructured coral‐reef ecosystems on a global scale. The disproportionate loss of once‐dominant, reef‐building taxa has facilitated relative increases in the abundance of “weedy” or stress‐tolerant coral species. Although the recent transformation of coral‐reef assemblages is unprecedented on ecological timescales, determining whether modern coral reefs have truly reached a novel ecosystem state requires evaluating the dynamics of reef composition over much longer periods of time. Here, we provide a geologic perspective on the shifting composition of Florida's reefs by reconstructing the millennial‐scale spatial and temporal variability in reef assemblages using 59 Holocene reef cores collected throughout the Florida Keys Reef Tract (FKRT). We then compare the relative abundances of reef‐building species in the Holocene reef framework to data from contemporary reef surveys to determine how much Florida's modern reef assemblages have diverged from long‐term baselines. We show that the composition of Florida's reefs was, until recently, remarkably stable over the last 8000 yr. The same corals that have dominated shallow‐water reefs throughout the western Atlantic for hundreds of thousands of years, Acropora palmata, Orbicella spp., and other massive coral taxa, accounted for nearly 90% of Florida's Holocene reef framework. In contrast, the species that now have the highest relative abundances on the FKRT, primarily Porites astreoides and Siderastrea siderea, were rare in the reef framework, suggesting that recent shifts in species assemblages are unprecedented over millennial timescales. Although it may not be possible to return coral reefs to pre‐Anthropocene states, our results suggest that coral‐reef management focused on the conservation and restoration of the reef‐building species of the past, will optimize efforts to preserve coral reefs, and the valuable ecosystem services they provide into the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- L T Toth
- St. Petersburg Coastal & Marine Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701, USA
| | - A Stathakopoulos
- St. Petersburg Coastal & Marine Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701, USA
| | - I B Kuffner
- St. Petersburg Coastal & Marine Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701, USA
| | - R R Ruzicka
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701, USA
| | - M A Colella
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701, USA
| | - E A Shinn
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701, USA
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23
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Lin YV, Denis V. Acknowledging differences: number, characteristics, and distribution of marine benthic communities along Taiwan coast. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Vicky Lin
- Institute of Oceanography National Taiwan University Taipei 10617 Taiwan
| | - Vianney Denis
- Institute of Oceanography National Taiwan University Taipei 10617 Taiwan
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24
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Vergés A, McCosker E, Mayer‐Pinto M, Coleman MA, Wernberg T, Ainsworth T, Steinberg PD. Tropicalisation of temperate reefs: Implications for ecosystem functions and management actions. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Vergés
- Centre for Marine Science & Innovation and Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW Australia Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science Mosman New South Wales Australia
| | - Erin McCosker
- Centre for Marine Science & Innovation and Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW Australia Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science Mosman New South Wales Australia
| | - Mariana Mayer‐Pinto
- Centre for Marine Science & Innovation and Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW Australia Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science Mosman New South Wales Australia
| | - Melinda A. Coleman
- Department of Primary Industries New South Wales Fisheries Coffs Harbour, New South Wales Australia
- National Marine Science Centre, Southern Cross University Coffs Harbour, New South Wales Australia
| | - Thomas Wernberg
- School of Biological Sciences, UWA Oceans Institute University of Western Australia Crawley Western Australia Australia
- Department of Science and Environment (DSE) Roskilde University Roskilde Denmark
| | - Tracy Ainsworth
- Centre for Marine Science & Innovation and Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW Australia Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science Mosman New South Wales Australia
| | - Peter D. Steinberg
- Centre for Marine Science & Innovation and Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW Australia Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science Mosman New South Wales Australia
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering Nanyang Technical University Singapore City Singapore
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