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1,478 results for “coral reefs”
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Long-term Community Dynamics: Backreef (Lagoon) Corals Annual Survey, ongoing since 2005
This dataset contains the percentage cover of all stony corals (Scleractinia, pooled among genera) and other major groups analyzed from 0.5 x 0.5 m photographic quadrats at the Backreef habitat at the Moorea Coral Reef LTER, French Polynesia. This survey time series began in 2005 and is repeated each year in April. Functional groups counted are: Scleractinian corals, Macroalgae, Crustose Coralline Algae / Bare Space, Soft Corals, Hydrocorals ( Millepora ), Algal Turf and Sand. The coral community was sampled photographically in all represented habitats surrounding the island: Fringing Reef, Lagoon, and Outer Reef. This dataset contains only Lagoon (Backreef) data (see knb-lter-mcr.4 for the other habitats) and is structured in a repeated-measures protocol to allow a statistical contrast of sites, shores and times. Community structure was determined through a coarse analysis of the benthic community, initially completed in situ (2005), but using photoquadrats from 2006. There are quadrats analyzed at each of five areas within each site, and the areas are revisited (but not the quadrats) each year to support the repeated measures design. There are two tables available, providing different views of the same data: a long table having all values in one column and a wide table having a separate column for each observed object. Detailed methods are available in the protocols section.
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Long-term Population Dynamics of Acanthaster planci, ongoing since 2005
These data describe the abundance of Acanthaster planci, Crown of Thorns Sea stars, surveyed as part of MCR LTER's annual reef fish monitoring program. This study began in 2005 and the dataset is updated annually. The abundances of A. planci observed on a five-by-fifty meter transect are recorded by a diver using SCUBA. Surveys are conducted between 0900 and 1600 hours (Moorea time) during late July or early August each year. Four replicate transects are surveyed in each of three habitats (forereef, backreef, and fringing reef) at six locations, two on each of Moorea's three sides, on the forereef, six locations on the backreef (two on each of Moorea's three sides for a total of 72 individual transects. Transects are permanently marked using a series of small, stainless steel posts affixed to the reef. Transects on the forereef are located at a depth of approximately 12m, those on the backreef are located at a depth of approximately 1.5m and those on the fringing reef are located at a depth of approximately 10m. This monitoring program is consistent with the protocols adopted by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and the Australian Institute of Marine Science for use with the Great Barrier Reef Long-term Monitoring Program. This material uses data collected by the U.S. National Science Foundation's (NSF) Moorea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research (MCR LTER) site under Grant No. OCE 2224354 (and earlier awards). Additional financial support to the MCR LTER site was provided through a generous gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Research was completed under permits issued by the French Polynesian Government (Délégation à la Recherche) and the Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie Francaise (DTRT) (Protocole d'Accueil 2005-2024). These data from the years 2005-2010 were published in: Adam, T.C., R.J. Schmitt, S.J. Holbrook, A.J. Brooks, P.J. Edmunds, R.C. Carpenter and G. Bernardi. 2011. Herbivory, connectivity, and ecosystem resilienc
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Temperature and Salinity subset of moorings FOR01, FOR04 and FOR05 from 2005-2014
This dataset is derived as a subset from three separate much larger more complex datasets: knb-lter-mcr.30, knb-lter-mcr.31, and knb-lter-mcr.32. Sampling began in 2005 and continues (as of 2019) for those time series. This dataset knb-lter-mcr.1040 was an experimental workflow that ended with 2014 data. Moored instrumentation measures water temperature and salinity year-round on the forereef of Moorea, French Polynesia at sites FOR01, FOR04 and FOR05 on the forereef of the north, east, and west shores, respectively. Data are interpolated onto a 20 minute grid. The two moored CTD packages are located approximately 5 and 14 meters above the bottom, and there are up to 5 additional temperature thermistors spaced vertically along the mooring line. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Grant No. OCE 16-37396 (and earlier awards) as well as a generous gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Research was completed under permits issued by the French Polynesian Government (Délégation à la Recherche) and the Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie Francaise (DTRT) (Protocole d'Accueil 2005-2018). This work represents a contribution of the Moorea Coral Reef (MCR) LTER Site.
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Water Column microbial community data in lagoons of Moorea, French Polynesia
Microbes process a significant fraction of organic material in marine systems, and the composition and activity of their communities are strongly modulated by fluctuations in nutrient availability. To investigate the distribution and dynamics of microbial communities in tropical lagoon ecosystems, bacteria and archaea were quantified from water column samples collected in lagoons around Moorea, French Polynesia during May 2021, April 2022, and April 2023 using eDNA sequencing. Environmental DNA was extracted and sequenced to assess microbial community composition, with data processed using the QIIME 2 platform (version 2023.7). Microbial communities in fringing reef habitats differed from those in mid-lagoon and back reef sites. These differences in microbial communities were related to patterns of water column nutrients and fluorescent dissolved organic matter, providing a baseline for understanding how lagoon microbial communities respond to spatial and temporal variability in reef environments.
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Rates of benthic coral reef community metabolism from 2007 ongoing
Rates of community primary production and respiration can be calculated from the data presented here. For two sites on the north shore of Moorea, these measurements are sampled upstream and downstream: dissolved oxygen, water column velocity (speed and direction), in situ light (PAR) levels, incident solar radiation, temperature, wind speed, and transect length. Estimates are made yearly across approximately 160 m of the backreef community. This material uses data collected by the U.S. National Science Foundation's (NSF) Moorea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research (MCR LTER) site under Grant No. OCE 2224354 (and earlier awards). Additional financial support to the MCR LTER site was provided through a generous gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Research was completed under permits issued by the French Polynesian Government (Délégation à la Recherche) and the Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie Francaise (DTRT) (Protocole d'Accueil 2005-2024).
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Macroalgal CHN, ongoing since 2005
Samples of two common macroalgal species (Sargassum mangarevense, Turbinaria ornata) are collected yearly from fringing, backreef, and reef crest sites at each of the sites (LTER 1 through LTER 6) around Moorea. CHN analyses of dried, ground samples of each individual are made using standard methods. CHN data are used to track sustained variation in nutrient availability. Water column nutrients in coral reef systems usually are low to undetectable and their inputs tend to be episodic and ephemeral. Using CHN contents of macroalgae allows the integration of nitrogen availability over a longer time period, in this case, over approximately 3 months.
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Material legacy disturbance type model; data for Kopecky et al., 2023 Ecology
This data package contains the code necessary to create a mathematical model of coral reef recovery dynamics following different types and intensities of disturbances that either remove dead coral skeletons (e.g., tropical storms) or leave standing dead skeletons (e.g., coral bleaching) and run associated analyses. We explored the sensitivity of the model to variation in key parameters, such as the strength of herbivory, and the degree to which dead skeletons protect algae from herbivory. Further, we assessed disturbance intensities and values of these parameters that lead to shifts between coral and macroalgae-dominated reefs. This code was published in Ecology and were a part of the thesis of K. Kopecky (2023). Analyses and full methods descriptions of this model can be found in the manuscript “Material legacies can degrade resilience: Structure-retaining disturbances promote regime shifts on coral reefs” (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4006). No novel data were used or generated in this study. This manuscript uses data collected by the U.S. National Science Foundation's (NSF) Moorea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research (MCR LTER) site under Grant No. OCE 2224354 (and earlier awards). Additional financial support to the MCR LTER site was provided through a generous gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Research was completed under permits issued by the French Polynesian Government (Délégation à la Recherche) and the Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie Francaise (DTRT) (Protocole d'Accueil 2005-2023).
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Coral mortality in the lagoon of Moorea in 2019
The data included in this data package were collected in the lagoon of Moorea, French Polynesia. Data on coral mortality were collected in July 2019. Data on nitrogen content (%N) in the long-lived brown macroalga Turbinaria ornata were collected during six sampling campaigns between January 2016 and May 2021 to characterize nitrogen availability at each site. Data on seawater temperatures at six LTER sites in the back reef were collected from 2005-2019, but temperature loggers at two sites (LTER 1 and LTER 6) only recorded partial ocean temperature records during the heatwave from 2018-2019. We used our entire time series (spanning from 2005 to 2018) of temperature across our four long-term sites for which we have data in 2019 to predict ocean temperature data for LTER 1 and LTER 6 in 2019. These data were used for analyses in the manuscript entitled "Effects of nitrogen enrichment on coral mortality depend on the intensity of heat stress".
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Patterns and implications of spatial covariation in herbivore functions on resilience of coral reefs
These data and code were generated in support of the manuscript: Cook DT, Holbrook SJ, and Schmitt RJ, Scientific Reports. In 2017, we collected biological and physical data from 20 sites along the north shore of Moorea, French Polynesia, to investigate spatial patterns in grazing and browsing functions of herbivorous fishes, environmental correlates, and implications for coral resilience. In addition to the data collected at the 20 north shore sites, we conducted a 10-day field experiment to assess the relationship between browsing intensity and potential of reversing a coral-to-macroalgae shift. This material uses data collected by the U.S. National Science Foundation's (NSF) Moorea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research (MCR LTER) site under Grant No. OCE 2224354 (and earlier awards). Additional financial support to the MCR LTER site was provided through a generous gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Research was completed under permits issued by the French Polynesian Government (Délégation à la Recherche) and the Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie Francaise (DTRT) (Protocole d'Accueil 2005-2025).
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Long-term Population and Community Dynamics: Corals, ongoing since 2005
This dataset contains the percentage cover of the stony corals (Scleractinia) and other major groups analyzed from 0.5 x 0.5 m photographic quadrats in several reef habitats at the Moorea Coral Reef LTER, French Polynesia. This survey has been repeated annually in April since 2005. There are two tables available, providing different views of the same data: a long table having all values in one column and a wide table having a separate column for each dependent variable. Functional groups (i.e., dependent variables) counted are: Scleractinian Corals (by genus where appropriate, see methods), Macroalgae, Crustose Coralline Algae / Bare Space, Soft Corals, Hydrocorals (Millepora), Algal Turf, and Sand. The coral community was sampled photographically in all habitats surrounding the island: Fringing Reef, Lagoon (Backreef), and Outer Reef (Forereef.) The sampling regime consists of a repeated-measures protocol in each habitat and is structured by habitat to allow a statistical contrast of sites, shores, times, and in the case of the outer reef, depths. Detailed methods are available in the protocols section.
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Coral Community Dynamics: Coral Recruitment
These data describe the recruitment of scleractinian corals to unglazed terracotta tiles secured independently to horizontal reef surfaces. The tiles are positioned horizontally to create a cryptic habitat beneath (approximately 1 cm high) and are in place approximately 6 months at a time; they are replaced ca. January and September. The tiles are bleached and inspected for coral skeletons using a dissecting microscope. Coral recruits are resolved to three families (Poritidae, Acroporidae, Pocilloporidae, and "others") and are scored on upper, lower and side surfaces. Data are available for the back reef (2006-present) and outer reef (2007-present).
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: In Situ Light Data, ongoing since 2021
This time series describes light (PAR, 400-700 nm) recorded in the air, on the surface, and at depth (17.1 m depth) at the LTER2 fore reef site. Surface data originate from twin cosine collectors (Hobo/Onset brand, model S-LIA-M003) attached to USB micro weather stations (Hobo/Onset brand, model H21-USB). Sensors are attached to the roof of the waterfront building at the UCB Gump station (-17.490598, -149.826208) with the sensors ~ 6 m above sea level. In situ light is recorded with a single PME miniPAR logger fitted with a Li-COR LI-192 cosine correct PAR sensor attached to a PME miniWiper. The sensor is mounted underwater with the top of the sensor at 17.1 m depth. The objective is to measure K dPAR , the diffuse attenuation coefficient for PAR wavelengths, over long periods. The technique relies on the assumption that ~96% of surface PAR is transmitted through the air-sea interface when sun altitudes are > 46° and wind speeds are < 5 m s-1 (Gregg and Carder 1990). Departures from this assumption degrade the estimation of subsurface PAR from surface PAR, which is required to calculate K dPAR .
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Farmerfish gardens help buffer stony corals against marine heat waves, data for Honeycutt et al., PLOS One 2023
These data were generated in support of the manuscript: Honeycutt RC, Holbrook SJ, Brooks, AJ, and RJ Schmitt, PLOS One In Moorea, French Polynesia, we evaluated the response and fate of stony coral following a major thermal stress event in 2019 that caused a substantial amount of branching coral (dominantly Pocillopora) to bleach and die. We investigated whether Pocillopora colonies that occurred within territorial gardens protected by the farmerfish Stegastes nigricans were less susceptible to or survived bleaching better than Pocillopora on adjacent, undefended substrate. Bleaching prevalence and severity, which were quantified for >1,100 colonies shortly after they bleached, did not differ between colonies within or outside of defended gardens. By contrast, 399 focal colonies followed for one year revealed that a bleached coral within a garden was a third less likely to suffer complete colony death and, for survivors, about twice as likely to recover to its pre-bleaching cover of living tissue compared to Pocillopora outside of a farmerfish garden. Our findings indicate that while residing in a farmerfish garden may not reduce the bleaching susceptibility of a coral during thermal stress, it does help buffer a bleached coral against severe outcomes. This oasis effect of farmerfish gardens, where survival and recovery of thermally-damaged corals are enhanced, is another mechanism that helps explain why large Pocillopora colonies are far more abundant in farmerfish territories than elsewhere in the lagoons of Moorea, despite gardens being much less common. As such, farmerfish may have a growing role in maintaining the resilience of branching corals as the frequency and intensity of marine heat waves continue to increase. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Grant No. OCE 16-37396 (and earlier awards) as well as a generous gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Research was completed under permits issued
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Asynchrony in coral community structure contributes to reef‑scale community stability, data for Srednick et al., Nature 2023
These data were generated in support of the manuscript: Srednick G, Davis K, and Edmunds P, Nature To evaluate whether spatial insurance effects are important on coral reefs, we explored variation over 2006–2019 in coral community structure and environmental conditions in Moorea, French Polynesia. We studied coral community structure at a single site with fringing, back reef, and fore reef habitats, and used this system to explore associations among community asynchrony, asynchrony of environmental conditions, and community stability. The daily range in seawater temperature among habitats suggests it could be a factor contributing to the variation in coral community structure. Wave-forced seawater flow facilitated larval exchange among connected habitats, differing in strength among years, and accentuated periodic connectivity among habitats at 1-7 year intervals. At this site, connected habitats harboring taxonomically similar coral assemblages and exhibiting asynchronous population dynamics can provide insurance against extirpation and may promote community stability. If these effects apply at larger spatial scale, then among-habitat community asynchrony is likely to play an important role in determining reef-wide coral community resilience. This manuscript uses data collected by the U.S. National Science Foundation's (NSF) Moorea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research (MCR LTER) site under Grant No. OCE 2224354 (and earlier awards). Additional financial support to the MCR LTER site was provided through a generous gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Research was completed under permits issued by the French Polynesian Government (Délégation à la Recherche) and the Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie Francaise (DTRT) (Protocole d'Accueil 2005-2023).
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Quantifying 2019 coral bleaching; data for Kopecky et al., 2023 Remote Sensing
This data package contains a dataset generated using image AI-assisted image segmentation of live and dead corals within ortho-photomosaics of benthic reef habitat on the North shore fore reef of Moorea, French Polynesia. The orthophotomosaics were produced through a rigorous method of underwater photogrammetry that allowed for spatial and temporal co-registration of ortho-photomosaics of the same location over time (for full photogrammetric methods, see Nocerino et al. 2020: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12183036). Using the image segmentation software, TagLab (see Pavoni et al. 2021: https://doi.org/10.1002/rob.22049), we quantified live and dead coral before and after a bleaching event to estimate the amount of coral loss as a result of this event. This data package also contains code necessary to conduct the analyses of the dataset described above and create data visualizations used in the manuscript “Quantifying the Loss of Coral from a Bleaching Event Using Underwater Photogrammetry and AI-Assisted Image Segmentation”, published in the journal Remote Sensing in 2023, and as part of the dissertation of K. Kopecky. Analyses of these data and full methods descriptions can be found at https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15164077. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Grant No. OCE 22-24354 (and earlier awards) as well as a generous gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Research was completed under permits issued by the French Polynesian Government (Délégation à la Recherche) and the Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie Francaise (DTRT) (Protocole d'Accueil 2005-2024). This work represents a contribution of the Moorea Coral Reef (MCR) LTER Site.
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Growth-predation risk trade-offs constrain the local distribution of a thicket-forming staghorn coral to marginal reef habitats; Data for Ladd et al., 2025, Scientific Reports.
This dataset is in support of the manuscript: Growth-predation risk tradeoffs constrain the local distribution of a thicket-forming staghorn coral to marginal reef habitats. These data were collected to 1) document how Acropora pulchra is distributed around the island of Moorea, and 2) to better understand the ecological processes that shape that distribution. Data include 1) results from surveys around the island of Moorea documenting the presence and size distribution of Acropora pulchra thickets, 2) results from an experiment measuring the growth and survivorship of Acropora pulchra fragments in the presence and absence of fish predators at nearshore fringing reef sites and adjacent sites in the mid lagoon (n = 20 sites in total), and 3) ancillary data on nitrogen content and dN15 in the tissue of the macroalgae Turbinaria ornata, sediment accumulation, and corallivore biomass at the experimental sites. All data were collected in 2016 and 2017.
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Spatial portfolios in coral metapopulations are shaped by spatiotemporal asynchrony in environmental conditions; Data for Srednick et al., 2026 Ecology Letters
Using wavelet analyses of a 19-year coral community timeseries from Moorea, French Polynesia, we quantified timescale-specific population synchrony in four common coral genera and evaluated the predictors of spatial portfolio effects. We detected synchrony within genera associated with synchrony in degree heating days, diurnal temperature range (DTR), and macroalgal cover at different timescales. Synchrony in DTR and macroalgal cover was associated with lower synchrony of Pocillopora and Porites populations, respectively. Population (for three of four genera) and environmental synchrony were stronger within than among habitats across timescales, underscoring the role of habitat-specific conditions in driving spatial synchrony and spatial portfolios. These results describe how the spatial and temporal scales of heterogeneity in environmental and ecological conditions determine synchrony in coral population dynamics and support a spatial portfolio effect, which may buffer coral metapopulations from island-scale collapse. Data in support of analyses for: Spatial portfolios in coral metapopulations are shaped by spatiotemporal asynchrony in environmental conditions. Published in Ecology Letters 2026.
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Long-term Population and Community Dynamics: Fishes, ongoing since 2005
These data describe the estimated species abundances and individual sizes of fishes surveyed in late July or early August of each year by researchers associated with the Moorea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research site. This study began in 2005, and the dataset is updated annually. Divers using SCUBA estimate the number and total length (total body length to the greatest precision possible) of all mobile and semi-cryptic fishes observed on four 50m long transects within each of the three principal habitat types, fore reef, back reef, and fringing reef, found around Moorea. These three habitats are each surveyed at six permanently marked sites, two sites on each of Moorea's three shores, yielding a total of 18 unique habitats (3) by location (6) combinations and 72 transects. Estimated total lengths are converted to estimates of species biomass using published length-weight relationships for each species. Data from the initial survey conducted in 2005 are presented in a separate data table as the protocol used in 2005 differed from the standard protocol adopted in 2006, and no estimates of fish body lengths were made in 2005. These data are a component of the MCR LTER core time series program and provide insight into the spatial and temporal patterns of reef fish abundance and biomass around the island of Moorea, French Polynesia.
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Long-term Population and Community Dynamics: Other Benthic Invertebrates, ongoing since 2005
The data presented here are the abundances of the major invertebrate herbivores and corallivores on Moorea coral reefs. Abundances are estimated in 4 fixed quadrats along 5 permanent transects at each of 4 habitats at 2 sites on each of the 3 shores of Moorea each year. Counts are made in one-meter-squared quadrats.
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Long-term Population and Community Dynamics: Benthic Algae and Other Community Components, ongoing since 2005
Coral reefs are comprised of scleractinian corals and many other benthic organims. The sampling described here quantifies the relative abundances of corals (aggregate abundance) and the other major benthic components including algal turfs, macroalgae, crustose corallines, and other sessile invertebrates. Abundance is estimated yearly at each of 6 sites (2 per shore) around the island. At each site, and in each of 4 habitats (fringing reef, backreef, forereef 10-m depth, forereef 17-m depth), 5 permanent 10-m long transects have been established and abundance estimates are made at fixed positions along each transect (n=10, 0.25 m2 quadrats per transect) allowing a repeated measures statistical analysis for the detection of temporal trends.
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