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33 results for “coral ecology”
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: 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.
Environmental and ecological controls of coral community metabolism on Palmyra Atoll
These data sets describe Palmyra Atoll coral reef Environmental and ecological controls of coral community metabolism. Data was collected between August—October 2012. Data in this package was published under: Koweek, D., R. Dunbar, J. Rogers, G. Williams, N. Price, D. Mucciarone, and L. Teneva, Environmental and ecological controls of coral community metabolism on Palmyra Atoll Coral Reefs. There are six data files associated with Koweek et al. This data was originally published at NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information. See Data Provenance section for more details.
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Priority effects in coral-macroalgae interactions can drive alternate community paths in the absence of top-down control, data for Adam 2022 Ecology
These data were generated in support of the manuscript: Adam TC, Holbrook SJ, Burkepile DE, Speare KE, Brooks AJ, Ladd MC, Shantz AA, Thurber RLV, and Schmitt RJ, Ecology The outcomes of species interactions can vary greatly in time and space with the outcomes of some interactions determined by priority effects. On coral reefs, benthic algae rapidly colonize the disturbed substrate. In the absence of top-down control from herbivorous fishes, these algae can inhibit the recruitment of reef-building corals, leading to a persistent phase shift to a macroalgae-dominated state. Yet, corals may also inhibit colonization by macroalgae, and thus the effects of herbivores on algal communities may be strongest following disturbances that reduce coral cover. Here, we report results from experiments conducted on the fore reef of Moorea, French Polynesia, where we: 1) tested the ability of macroalgae to invade coral-dominated and coral-depauperate communities under different levels of herbivory, 2) explored the ability of juvenile corals (Pocillopora spp.) to suppress macroalgae, and 3) quantified the direct and indirect effects of fish herbivores and corallivores on juvenile corals. We found that macroalgae proliferated when herbivory was low but only in recently disturbed communities where coral cover was also low. When coral cover was < 10%, macroalgae increased 20-fold within one year under reduced herbivory conditions relative to high herbivory controls. Yet, when coral cover was high (50%), macroalgae were suppressed irrespective of the level of herbivory despite ample space for algal colonization. Once established in communities with low herbivory and low coral cover, macroalgae suppressed recruitment of coral larvae, reducing the capacity for coral replenishment. However, when we experimentally established small juvenile corals (2 cm diameter) following a disturbance, juvenile corals inhibited macroalgae from invading local neighborhoods, even in the absence of herbivore
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Early life stage bottleneck determines rates of coral recovery following severe disturbance; Data for Speare et al., 2024, Ecology
The data included in this data package were collected on the north shore of Moorea, French Polynesia, from 2011-2018 to evaluate drivers of different recovery rates of corals at two depths (10m and 17m). Data on juvenile coral densities, growth, and mortality, were collected from annual time series photoquadrats. Data from two experiments on coral settlement tiles were used to evaluate how exclusion of fishes influences the density of coral recruits, and the survival of coral recruits at 10 and 17m. These data were used for analyses in the manuscript entitled "Early life stage bottleneck determines rates of coral recovery following severe disturbance". These data are in support of a publication Speare et al. (2024) Ecology. 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).
Coral growth data for the research article "Reconstruction of long-term sub-lethal effects of warming on a temperate coral in a climate change hotspot" in Journal of Animal Ecology
<p>This repository contains the coral growth data files used to generate the results for the following article:</p> <p> </p> <p>MJ. Vergotti, JP. D’Olivo, T. Brachert, P. Capdevila, J. Garrabou, C. Linares, P. Spreter, DK. Kersting (2024) Reconstruction of long-term sub-lethal effects of warming on a temperate coral in a climate change hot-spot. <em>Journal of Animal Ecology</em>. https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.14225</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Abstract: </strong>The impact of warming on zooxanthellate corals is widespread, from tropical to temperate seas, with their associated mortalities causing global concern. The temperate coral <em>Cladocora caespitosa</em> is the only zooxanthellate coral with reef-building capacity in the Mediterranean Sea, a climate change hotspot with warming rates triple the global average. Over the past two decades, <em>C. caespitosa</em> populations have suffered severe mortality events associated with marine heatwaves (MHWs). However, with monitoring efforts beginning, at best, in the 2000s, the occurrence of MHWs before to that period, as well as the sub-lethal effects of these events remain poorly understood. Here we use sclerochronology to reconstruct the histories of past stress events and long-term sub-lethal effects on <em>C. caespitosa</em> in three locations within the NW Mediterranean Sea, each with different environmental conditions. Skeletal extension, density and calcification rates were compared to the <em>in situ</em> seawater temperature of each site to assess their relationship. Additionally, we assessed the occurrence of skeletal growth anomalies to reconstruct stress events between 1991 and 2021, a period that encompasses the onset and evolution of warming-related mass mortality events in the NW Mediterranean Sea. Our results reveal a positive association between calcification and temperature, following a latitudinal temperature gradient. However, the evolution of the likelihood distribution of growth rates in the warmest site (Columbretes Islands) since the 1990s indicates a decrease in linear extension and calcification rates during the most recent years. With the increase in the frequency of MHWs and growth anomalies during the last decade, this decline suggests a recurrence in physiological stress events. These results unravel information on the long-term impacts of warming on coral growth and highlight the potential of applying sclerochronology to reconstruct sub-lethal effects of warming using <em>C. caespitosa</em>. </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Funding</strong>: This research is supported by the Horizon 2020 program of research and innovation of the European Union under the MaCoBioS grant agreement, by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation, project no. 401447620) and by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities under the project UndResCoral (project no. PID2022-137539OA-C22). D.K.K. was supported by a Ramon y Cajal postdoctoral grant funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (PEICTI 2021–2023; grant no. RYC2021-033576-I). C.L. acknowledges the support by ICREA Academia. J.G. acknowledges the grant “Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence” accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S) funded by AEI 10.13039/501100011033.</p>
MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Density-dependence data for Edmunds, et al., Ecology 2018
This dataset contains coral cover data describing the context within which denisty-dependence (DD) was measured on the island of Moorea, French Polynesia, including data describing the benthic community, diameters of Pocillopora spp. measured in photoquadrats, surveys of corals and recruits. These data correspond to figures 1 through 3 in the manuscript by PJ Edmunds, L. Bramanti, and H.R. Nelson, 'Density-dependence mediates coral community structure', Ecology, 99(11), 2018, pp. 2605-2613. This ata set was revised on 27 November 2018. The data managed for Fig. 3 were missing values for two quadrats used in the analysis (quadrats 24 and 9). In this data revision, the values from the missing quadrats have been included. The reefs of Mo’orea, French Polynesia, provide the opportunity to study DD of coral population growth, because coral assemblages in this location responded to declines in abundance with high recruitment and an increase in cover during which recruitment of pocilloporid corals was inversely associated with density. This study tests for DD in this system, first, by describing the context within which it operates: coral cover changed from 46% in 2005, to less than 1% in 2010 following an outbreak of a corallivorous sea star and a cyclone, and then increased to 74% by 2017, in large part through inverse density- associated pocilloporid recruitment. Second, a test for DD of recruitment was conducted by decreasing Pocillopora spp. cover from 33% to 19%: one year later, the density of Pocillopora spp. recruits was 1.65-fold higher in the low versus high cover treatment. Finally, the effects of DD were investigated by comparing simulated and empirical distributions of pocilloporid colonies: as predicted by DD, small colonies were randomly distributed, while large colonies were uniformly distributed. Together these results demonstrate DD of population regulation for Pocillopora spp. corals, thus revealing the potential importance of this ecological principle i
Data used for "Assessing spatiotemporal change in coral reef social-ecological systems"
<p>Coral reef data used for Eason, T. and Garmestani, A. S., Assessing spatiotemporal change in coral reef ecosystems. Under Review (Ecology and Society)</p> <p>The raw data was gathered from a coral bleaching study performed by Sully et al (2019). In our current study, we used data spanning from 2003-2016. We amalgamated station names and associated data when the station locations (latitude and longitude) remained essentially the same, but were named slightly different from year to year. </p> <p>Reference: Sully S, Burkepile DE, Donovan MK, Hodgson G, van Woesik R. A global analysis of coral bleaching over the past two decades. Nat Commun. 2019;10(1):1264</p>
Effects of ecology on the sociality of coral dwelling gobies, genus Gobiodon
<p>We developed a framework to assess how ecological factors affected the sociality of animals, and we used coral dwelling gobies (genus Gobiodon) to model this framework. We identifed four categories of sociality to compare: form of sociality, degree of sociality, social plasticity, and hierarchy maintenance. We tested global and local ecological factors from climatic disturbances to habitat size, and assessed how they affected the different categories of sociality. We combined the findings of each category to determine to outlook of social maintenance in the taxa when considering the ecological factors tested. For coral dwelling gobies, we found that there is a very poor outlook for their social maintenance with respect to climatic disturbances.</p>
Effects of ecology on the sociality of coral dwelling gobies, genus Gobiodon
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Spatial distribution of benthic algae in the South China Sea: responses to gradually changing environmental factors and ecological impacts on coral communities
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Overfishing and the ecological impacts of extirpating large parrotfish from Caribbean coral reefs
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Derived variables and coordinates to assess the ecological relevance of multiscale bathymetry for coral species distribution modelling across the Great Barrier Reef
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The visual ecology of Holocentridae, a nocturnal coral reef fish family with a deep-sea-like multibank retina
<p>The visual systems of teleost fishes usually match their habitats and lifestyles. Since coral reefs are bright and colourful environments, the visual systems of their diurnal inhabitants have been more extensively studied than those of nocturnal species. In order to fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a detailed investigation of the visual system of the nocturnal reef fish family Holocentridae. Results showed that the visual system of holocentrids is well adapted to their nocturnal lifestyle with a rod-dominated retina. Surprisingly, rods in all species were arranged into 6-17 well-defined banks, a feature most commonly found in deep-sea fishes, that may increase the light sensitivity of the eye and/or allow colour discrimination in dim-light. Holocentrids also have the potential for dichromatic colour vision during the day with the presence of at least two spectrally different cone types: single cones expressing the blue-sensitive <i>SWS2A</i> gene, and double cones expressing one or two green-sensitive <i>RH2</i> genes. Some differences were observed between the two subfamilies, with Holocentrinae (squirrelfish) having a slightly more developed photopic visual system than Myripristinae (soldierfish). Moreover, retinal topography of both ganglion cells and cone photoreceptors showed specific patterns for each cell type, likely highlighting different visual demands at different times of the day, such as feeding. Overall, their well-developed scotopic visual systems and the ease of catching and maintaining holocentrids in aquaria, make them ideal models to investigate teleost dim-light vision and more particularly shed light on the function of the multibank retina and its potential for dim-light colour vision.</p>
Data from: Coral reef carbonate budgets and ecological drivers in the central Red Sea – a naturally high temperature and high total alkalinity environment
The structural framework provided by corals is crucial for reef ecosystem function and services, but high seawater temperatures can be detrimental to the calcification capacity of reef-building organisms. The Red Sea is very warm, but total alkalinity (TA) is naturally high and beneficial for reef accretion. To date, we know little about how such detrimental and beneficial abiotic factors affect each other and the balance between calcification and erosion on Red Sea coral reefs, i.e., overall reef growth, in this unique ocean basin. To provide estimates of present-day reef growth dynamics in the central Red Sea, we measured two metrics of reef growth, i.e., in situ net-accretion/-erosion rates (Gnet) determined by deployment of limestone blocks and ecosystem-scale carbonate budgets (Gbudget), along a cross-shelf gradient (25km, encompassing nearshore, midshore, and offshore reefs). Along this gradient, we assessed multiple abiotic (i.e., temperature, salinity, diurnal pH fluctuation, inorganic nutrients, and TA) and biotic (i.e., calcifier and epilithic bioeroder communities) variables. Both reef growth metrics revealed similar patterns from nearshore to offshore: net-erosive, neutral, and net-accretion states. The average cross-shelf Gbudget was 0.66kg CaCO3m−2yr−1, with the highest budget of 2.44kg CaCO3m−2yr−1 measured in the offshore reef. These data are comparable to the contemporary Gbudgets from the western Atlantic and Indian oceans, but lie well below optimal reef production (5–10kg CaCO3m−2yr−1) and below maxima recently recorded in remote high coral cover reef sites. However, the erosive forces observed in the Red Sea nearshore reef contributed less than observed elsewhere. A higher TA accompanied reef growth across the shelf gradient, whereas stronger diurnal pH fluctuations were associated with negative carbonate budgets. Noteworthy for this oligotrophic region was the positive effect of phosphate, which is a central micronutrient for reef building corals. While parrotfish contributed substantially to bioerosion, our dataset also highlights coralline algae as important local reef builders. Altogether, our study establishes a baseline for reef growth in the central Red Sea that should be useful in assessing trajectories of reef growth capacity under current and future ocean scenarios.
Data from: Blind to morphology: genetics identifies several widespread ecologically common species and few endemics among Indo-Pacific cauliflower corals (Pocillopora, Scleractinia)
AIM: Using high-resolution genetic markers on samples gathered from across their wide distributional range, we endeavoured to delimit species diversity in reef-building Pocillopora corals. They are common, ecologically important, and widespread throughout the Indo-Pacific, but their phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental conditions and their nearly featureless microskeletal structures confound taxonomic assignments and limit an understanding of their ecology and evolution. LOCATION: Indo-Pacific, Red Sea, Arabian/Persian Gulf. METHODS: Sequence analysis of nuclear ribosomal (internal transcribed spacer 2, ITS2) and mitochondrial (open reading frame) loci were combined with population genetic data (seven microsatellite loci) for Pocillopora samples collected throughout the Indo-Pacific, Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, in order to assess the evolutionary divergence, reproductive isolation, frequency of hybridization and geographical distributions of the genus. RESULTS: Between five and eight genetically distinct lineages were identified that appear comparable to species with minimal or no hybridization. Colony morphology was generally incongruent with genetics across the full range of sampling, and the total number of species is apparently consistent with lower estimates from competing morphologically based hypotheses (c. seven or eight taxa). The most commonly occurring genetic lineages were widely distributed and exhibited high dispersal and gene flow, factors that have probably minimized allopatric speciation. Uniquely among scleractinian genera, this genus contains a monophyletic group of broadcast spawners that evolved recently from an ancestral brooder. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: The delineation of species diversity guided by genetics fundamentally advances our understanding of Pocillopora geographical distributions, ecology and evolution. Because traditional diagnostic features of colony and branch morphology are proving to be of limited utility, the identification of Pocillopora species for future ecological and experimental work should rely on genetic characters that will improve research and aid in conservation strategies for these and other reef-building corals, including the detection of real and mistaken endemic populations.
Data from: Ecologically relevant dispersal of corals on isolated reefs: implications for managing resilience
Coral reefs are in decline worldwide, and marine reserve networks have been advocated as a powerful management tool for maximizing the resilience of coral communities to an increasing variety, number, and severity of disturbances. However, the effective design of reserves must account for the spatial scales of larval dispersal that affect the demography of communities over ecological time frames. Ecologically relevant distances of dispersal were inferred from DNA microsatellite data in a broadcast-spawning (Acropora tenuis) and a brooding (Seriatopora hystrix) coral at isolated reef systems off northwest Australia. Congruent with expectations based on life histories, levels of genetic subdivision among populations were markedly higher in the brooder than in the broadcast spawner. Additionally, significant subdivision for both species between systems (>100 km), and between (>10 km) or within reefs (<10 km) within systems, indicated that many reefs or reef patches are demographically independent. There was also a clear distinction in the scale of genetic structure between the different systems; at the more geographically complex of the systems, a much finer scale structure was detected in both species. This suggested that the hydrodynamics associated with these complex reefs restrict distances regularly traveled by larvae. The primary implication is that short-term recovery of these coral communities after severe disturbance requires the input of larvae from viable communities kilometers to a few tens of kilometers away. Therefore, to be self-sustaining, we suggest that coral reef protected areas need to be large enough to encompass these routine dispersal distances. Further, to facilitate recovery from severe disturbances, protected areas need to be replicated over these spatial scales. However, specific designs also need to account for size, complexity, and isolation of reefs, which will either restrict or enhance dispersal within this range.
Functional divergence from ecological baselines on Caribbean coral reefs
<p>Understanding how emergent ecological assemblages have diverged from natural states is fundamental in predicting future functioning and services of ecosystems. Coral reefs are of particular concern due to their high susceptibility to anthropogenic stressors. Yet, little is known about their pre-disturbance ranges of natural states, and most reports of decline are based on a limited number of sites and high levels of uncertainty. Here, we used a novel approach to estimate the physical functionality of reefs across marine ecoregions based on habitat suitability and morpho-functional traits for coral species. We calibrated ecological niche models for 49 reef-building corals of the Greater Caribbean based on occurrence records and environmental predictors, which we combined with species-specific functional coefficients derived from morpho-functional traits reflecting their contribution to the reef three-dimensional structure to estimate the reef functional potential (RFP). We then assessed the degree of divergence of western Caribbean reefs by comparing our physical functionality estimates against recent field data evaluations. We found spatial variability in RFP across the Caribbean, with the highest mean value in the western Caribbean and the lowest in areas with marginal environmental conditions. Hotspots of RFP exist along the coast of Belize and the southeast of Cuba. Overall, 84% of sites along the western Caribbean showed a substantial reduction in their physical functioning, with the highest reductions occurring within hotspots, implying that reefs displaying the greatest changes have high initial RFP. We conclude that combining niche models with species morpho-functional traits is a valuable and promising approach to estimate the large-scale functional potential of communities and the degree of change in the absence of ecological baselines. These findings have important implications and could be used to guide efforts to preserve coral reefs functionality and define priority conservation areas in the Caribbean.</p>
Functional divergence from ecological baselines on Caribbean coral reefs
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Data from: Coral reef carbonate budgets and ecological drivers in the central Red Sea – a naturally high temperature and high total alkalinity environment
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