154 results on '"Pandolfi JM"'
Search Results
2. Evolution of local recruitment and its consequences for marine populations
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Strathmann, RR, Hughes, TP, Kuris, AM, Lindeman, KC, Morgan, SG, Pandolfi, JM, and Warner, RR
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Marine Biology & Hydrobiology ,Earth Sciences ,Biological Sciences ,Environmental Sciences - Abstract
Advantages of dispersal on the scales that are possible in a long pelagic larval period are not apparent, even for benthic species. An alternative hypothesis is that wide dispersal may be an incidental byproduct of an ontogenetic migration from and then back to the parental habitat. Under this hypothesis, the water column is a better habitat than the bottom for early development. Because the parental area is often an especially favorable habitat for juveniles and adults, selection may even favor larval retention or larval return rather than dispersal. Where larval capabilities and currents permit, a high percentage of recruits may then be produced from local adults. Expected consequences of a high proportion of local recruitment are stronger links between stock and recruitment, greater vulnerability to recruitment overfishing and local modifications of habitat, greater local benefits from fishery reserves, and possibly more localized adaptation within populations. Export of some larvae is consistent with a high proportion of retained or returning larvae, could stabilize populations linked by larval exchange, and provide connectivity between marine reserves. Even a small amount of larval export could account for the greater gene flow, large ranges, and long evolutionary durations seen in species with long pelagic larval stages.
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- 2002
3. Temperate functional niche availability not resident-invader competition shapes tropicalisation in reef fishes.
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Miller, MGR, Reimer, JD, Sommer, B, Cook, KM, Pandolfi, JM, Obuchi, M, Beger, M, Miller, MGR, Reimer, JD, Sommer, B, Cook, KM, Pandolfi, JM, Obuchi, M, and Beger, M
- Abstract
Temperate reefs are at the forefront of warming-induced community alterations resulting from poleward range shifts. This tropicalisation is exemplified and amplified by tropical species' invasions of temperate herbivory functions. However, whether other temperate ecosystem functions are similarly invaded by tropical species, and by what drivers, remains unclear. We examine tropicalisation footprints in nine reef fish functional groups using trait-based analyses and biomass of 550 fish species across tropical to temperate gradients in Japan and Australia. We discover that functional niches in transitional communities are asynchronously invaded by tropical species, but with congruent invasion schedules for functional groups across the two hemispheres. These differences in functional group tropicalisation point to habitat availability as a key determinant of multi-species range shifts, as in the majority of functional groups tropical and temperate species share functional niche space in suitable habitat. Competition among species from different thermal guilds played little part in limiting tropicalisation, rather available functional space occupied by temperate species indicates that tropical species can invade. Characterising these drivers of reef tropicalisation is pivotal to understanding, predicting, and managing marine community transformation.
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- 2023
4. Coral assemblages at higher latitudes favor short-term potential over long-term performance.
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Cant, J, Reimer, JD, Sommer, B, Cook, KM, Kim, SW, Sims, CA, Mezaki, T, O'Flaherty, C, Brooks, M, Malcolm, HA, Pandolfi, JM, Salguero-Gómez, R, Beger, M, Cant, J, Reimer, JD, Sommer, B, Cook, KM, Kim, SW, Sims, CA, Mezaki, T, O'Flaherty, C, Brooks, M, Malcolm, HA, Pandolfi, JM, Salguero-Gómez, R, and Beger, M
- Abstract
The persistent exposure of coral assemblages to more variable abiotic regimes is assumed to augment their resilience to future climatic variability. Yet, while the determinants of coral population resilience across species remain unknown, we are unable to predict the winners and losers across reef ecosystems exposed to increasingly variable conditions. Using annual surveys of 3171 coral individuals across Australia and Japan (2016-2019), we explore spatial variation across the short- and long-term dynamics of competitive, stress-tolerant, and weedy assemblages to evaluate how abiotic variability mediates the structural composition of coral assemblages. We illustrate how, by promoting short-term potential over long-term performance, coral assemblages can reduce their vulnerability to stochastic environments. However, compared to stress-tolerant, and weedy assemblages, competitive coral taxa display a reduced capacity for elevating their short-term potential. Accordingly, future climatic shifts threaten the structural complexity of coral assemblages in variable environments, emulating the degradation expected across global tropical reefs.
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- 2023
5. Regional and global climate risks for reef corals: Incorporating species-specific vulnerability and exposure to climate hazards.
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Kim, SW, Sommer, B, Beger, M, Pandolfi, JM, Kim, SW, Sommer, B, Beger, M, and Pandolfi, JM
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Climate change is driving rapid and widespread erosion of the environmental conditions that formerly supported species persistence. Existing projections of climate change typically focus on forecasts of acute environmental anomalies and global extinction risks. The current projections also frequently consider all species within a broad taxonomic group together without differentiating species-specific patterns. Consequently, we still know little about the explicit dimensions of climate risk (i.e., species-specific vulnerability, exposure and hazard) that are vital for predicting future biodiversity responses (e.g., adaptation, migration) and developing management and conservation strategies. Here, we use reef corals as model organisms (n = 741 species) to project the extent of regional and global climate risks of marine organisms into the future. We characterise species-specific vulnerability based on the global geographic range and historical environmental conditions (1900-1994) of each coral species within their ranges, and quantify the projected exposure to climate hazard beyond the historical conditions as climate risk. We show that many coral species will experience a complete loss of pre-modern climate analogs at the regional scale and across their entire distributional ranges, and such exposure to hazardous conditions are predicted to pose substantial regional and global climate risks to reef corals. Although high-latitude regions may provide climate refugia for some tropical corals until the mid-21st century, they will not become a universal haven for all corals. Notably, high-latitude specialists and species with small geographic ranges remain particularly vulnerable as they tend to possess limited capacities to avoid climate risks (e.g., via adaptive and migratory responses). Predicted climate risks are amplified substantially under the SSP5-8.5 compared with the SSP1-2.6 scenario, highlighting the need for stringent emission controls. Our projections of bo
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- 2023
6. Quantifying the historical development of recreational fisheries in Southeast Queensland, Australia
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Chong-Montenegro, C, primary, Thurstan, RH, additional, and Pandolfi, JM, additional
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- 2022
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7. Linking population size structure, heat stress and bleaching responses in a subtropical endemic coral
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Lachs, L, Sommer, B, Cant, J, Hodge, JM, Malcolm, HA, Pandolfi, JM, and Beger, M
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fungi ,technology, industry, and agriculture ,04 Earth Sciences, 05 Environmental Sciences, 06 Biological Sciences ,Marine Biology & Hydrobiology - Abstract
Anthropocene coral reefs are faced with increasingly severe marine heatwaves and mass coral bleaching mortality events. The ensuing demographic changes to coral assemblages can have long-term impacts on reef community organisation. Thus, understanding the dynamics of subtropical scleractinian coral populations is essential to predict their recovery or extinction post-disturbance. Here we present a 10-yr demographic assessment of a subtropical endemic coral, Pocillopora aliciae (Schmidt-Roach et al. in Zootaxa 3626:576–582, 2013) from the Solitary Islands Marine Park, eastern Australia, paired with long-term temperature records. These coral populations are regularly affected by storms, undergo seasonal thermal variability, and are increasingly impacted by severe marine heatwaves. We examined the demographic processes governing the persistence of these populations using inference from size-frequency distributions based on log-transformed planar area measurements of 7196 coral colonies. Specifically, the size-frequency distribution mean, coefficient of variation, skewness, kurtosis, and coral density were applied to describe population dynamics. Generalised Linear Mixed Effects Models were used to determine temporal trends and test demographic responses to heat stress. Temporal variation in size-frequency distributions revealed various population processes, from recruitment pulses and cohort growth, to bleaching impacts and temperature dependencies. Sporadic recruitment pulses likely support population persistence, illustrated in 2010 by strong positively skewed size-frequency distributions and the highest density of juvenile corals measured during the study. Increasing mean colony size over the following 6 yr indicates further cohort growth of these recruits. Severe heat stress in 2016 resulted in mass bleaching mortality and a 51% decline in coral density. Moderate heat stress in the following years was associated with suppressed P. aliciae recruitment and a lack of early recovery, marked by an exponential decrease of juvenile density (i.e. recruitment) with increasing heat stress. Here, population reliance on sporadic recruitment and susceptibility to heat stress underpin the vulnerability of subtropical coral assemblages to climate change.
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- 2021
8. Coral assemblages at higher latitudes favour short-term potential over long-term performance
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Cant, J, Reimer, JD, Sommer, B, Cook, K, Kim, SW, Sims, CA, Mezaki, T, O’Flaherty, C, Brooks, M, Malcolm, HA, Pandolfi, JM, Salguero-Gómez, R, Beger, M, Cant, J, Reimer, JD, Sommer, B, Cook, K, Kim, SW, Sims, CA, Mezaki, T, O’Flaherty, C, Brooks, M, Malcolm, HA, Pandolfi, JM, Salguero-Gómez, R, and Beger, M
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- 2021
9. Projecting coral responses to intensifying marine heatwaves under ocean acidification
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Klein, SG, Geraldi, NR, Anton, A, Schmidt‐Roach, S, Ziegler, M, Cziesielski, MJ, Martin, C, Rädecker, N, Frölicher, TL, Mumby, PJ, Pandolfi, JM, Suggett, DJ, Voolstra, CR, Aranda, M, Duarte, CM, Klein, SG, Geraldi, NR, Anton, A, Schmidt‐Roach, S, Ziegler, M, Cziesielski, MJ, Martin, C, Rädecker, N, Frölicher, TL, Mumby, PJ, Pandolfi, JM, Suggett, DJ, Voolstra, CR, Aranda, M, and Duarte, CM
- Abstract
Over this century, coral reefs will run the gauntlet of climate change, as marine heatwaves (MHWs) become more intense and frequent, and ocean acidification (OA) progresses. However, we still lack a quantitative assessment of how, and to what degree, OA will moderate the responses of corals to MHWs as they intensify throughout this century. Here, we first projected future MHW intensities for tropical regions under three future greenhouse gas emissions scenario (representative concentration pathways, RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) for the near-term (2021-2040), mid-century (2041-2060) and late-century (2081-2100). We then combined these MHW intensity projections with a global data set of 1,788 experiments to assess coral attribute performance and survival under the three emissions scenarios for the near-term, mid-century and late-century in the presence and absence of OA. Although warming and OA had predominately additive impacts on the coral responses, the contribution of OA in affecting most coral attributes was minor relative to the dominant role of intensifying MHWs. However, the addition of OA led to greater decreases in photosynthesis and survival under intermediate and unrestricted emissions scenario for the mid- and late-century than if intensifying MHWs were considered as the only driver. These results show that role of OA in modulating coral responses to intensifying MHWs depended on the focal coral attribute and extremity of the scenario examined. Specifically, intensifying MHWs and OA will cause increasing instances of coral bleaching and substantial declines in coral productivity, calcification and survival within the next two decades under the low and intermediate emissions scenario. These projections suggest that corals must rapidly adapt or acclimatize to projected ocean conditions to persist, which is far more likely under a low emissions scenario and with increasing efforts to manage reefs to enhance resilience.
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- 2021
10. Integrating environmental variability to broaden the research on coral responses to future ocean conditions
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Ziegler, M, Anton, A, Klein, SG, Rädecker, N, Geraldi, NR, Schmidt‐Roach, S, Saderne, V, Mumby, PJ, Cziesielski, MJ, Martin, C, Frölicher, TL, Pandolfi, JM, Suggett, DJ, Aranda, M, Duarte, CM, Voolstra, CR, Ziegler, M, Anton, A, Klein, SG, Rädecker, N, Geraldi, NR, Schmidt‐Roach, S, Saderne, V, Mumby, PJ, Cziesielski, MJ, Martin, C, Frölicher, TL, Pandolfi, JM, Suggett, DJ, Aranda, M, Duarte, CM, and Voolstra, CR
- Abstract
Our understanding of the response of reef-building corals to changes in their physical environment is largely based on laboratory experiments, analysis of long-term field data, and model projections. Experimental data provide unique insights into how organisms respond to variation of environmental drivers. However, an assessment of how well experimental conditions cover the breadth of environmental conditions and variability where corals live successfully is missing. Here, we compiled and analyzed a globally distributed dataset of in-situ seasonal and diurnal variability of key environmental drivers (temperature, pCO2 , and O2 ) critical for the growth and livelihood of reef-building corals. Using a meta-analysis approach, we compared the variability of environmental conditions assayed in coral experimental studies to current and projected conditions in their natural habitats. We found that annual temperature profiles projected for the end of the 21st century were characterized by distributional shifts in temperatures with warmer winters and longer warm periods in the summer, not just peak temperatures. Furthermore, short-term hourly fluctuations of temperature and pCO2 may regularly expose corals to conditions beyond the projected average increases for the end of the 21st century. Coral reef sites varied in the degree of coupling between temperature, pCO2 , and dissolved O2 , which warrants site-specific, differentiated experimental approaches depending on the local hydrography and influence of biological processes on the carbonate system and O2 availability. Our analysis highlights that a large portion of the natural environmental variability at short and long timescales is underexplored in experimental designs, which may provide a path to extend our understanding on the response of corals to global climate change.
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- 2021
11. Trait-based approach reveals how marginal reefs respond to acute and chronic disturbance
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Sommer, B, Butler, IR, Pandolfi, JM, Sommer, B, Butler, IR, and Pandolfi, JM
- Abstract
Ecosystems worldwide are becoming increasingly altered by environmental stress, yet little is known about how acute disturbances affect ecological communities that already persist under chronically stressful environmental conditions. Here, we use a trait-based approach to understand the effects of repeated flooding on the subtropical reefs of Hervey Bay, Australia (25˚ South) that are considered marginal both in terms of their chronically turbid and high-latitude settings. We quantify variation in taxonomic and functional composition of coral assemblages along spatial gradients of water quality, before and after three flooding events of the Mary River between 2010 and 2013. We demonstrate systematic variation in taxonomic and functional composition along distance from shore and rivers and show remarkable stability of patterns over the course of repeated flooding. This is likely because the reefs of Hervey Bay are regularly exposed to resuspension of sediments, limiting the types of species that are able to persist in these chronically turbid settings, with flood events reinforcing the longer-term stress regime. Greater similarity of co-occurring species on nearshore reefs than expected by chance also supports this hypothesis. Corallite size, coral morphology, the ability to remove sediment, and propagule development rate best explained variation in coral assemblage structure. Specifically, reefs closer to shore and to rivers were characterised by species with large corallites, high sediment removal ability and foliose morphology, strategies considered beneficial in turbid conditions. Among individual traits, symbiont transmission best explained variation in assemblage structure, and it is plausible that the acquisition of locally adapted symbionts from the environment is advantageous in the turbid and light-limited conditions of nearshore reefs. These findings highlight the importance of tolerance to turbidity and sedimentation in driving coral biodiversity patterns
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- 2021
12. Regional variation in δ13C of coral reef macroalgae
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Lovelock, CE, Reef, R, Raven, JA, and Pandolfi, JM
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04 Earth Sciences, 05 Environmental Sciences, 06 Biological Sciences ,Marine Biology & Hydrobiology - Abstract
Macroalgae are important components on coral reefs that underpin food webs but are also indicators of declines in coral reef condition. The sensitivity of macroalgal communities to environmental factors, including climate and pollutants from the land, is important for the future state of coral reefs. We assessed regional variation in the photosynthetic physiology of macroalgae on the Great Barrier Reef and Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia, using δ C, tissue chemistry, and metabolic indicators over broad environmental gradients from six sites spanning 13° of latitude and varying distance from shore. Our data set included 568 samples from 54 genera and 19 macroalgal orders. The δ C of tissues had a strong taxonomic basis (explaining 66% of the variation in δ C), varying significantly among algal orders. Particularly low values of δ C, indicating direct use of CO in photosynthesis, were mainly associated with lineages within the Rhodophyta. We observed declines in δ C with increasing depth (inshore only) and latitude, from offshore to inshore sites and with increasing tissue N and N : P ratio. Variation in δ C of tissues among macroalgal lineages suggests evolution of a range of CO acquisition pathways. Patterns in δ C availability are most consistent with higher availability of CO in cooler water and inshore sites. δ C in macroalgae could provide an important tool for monitoring changes in CO with increasing atmospheric CO , with changes in ocean circulation and with changes to runoff from the land to the coastal oceans. 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 2(aq) 2 2(aq) 2(aq) 2
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- 2020
13. Understanding interactions between plasticity, adaptation and range shifts in response to marine environmental change
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Donelson, JM, Sunday, JM, Figueira, WF, Gaitán-Espitia, JD, Hobday, AJ, Johnson, CR, Leis, JM, Ling, SD, Marshall, D, Pandolfi, JM, Pecl, G, Rodgers, GG, Booth, DJ, and Munday, PL
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Evolutionary Biology ,Aquatic Organisms ,Geography ,Oceans and Seas ,sense organs ,Adaptation, Physiological ,Models, Biological ,Ecosystem - Abstract
© 2019 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved. Climate change is leading to shifts in species geographical distributions, but populations are also probably adapting to environmental change at different rates across their range. Owing to a lack of natural and empirical data on the influence of phenotypic adaptation on range shifts of marine species, we provide a general conceptual model for understanding population responses to climate change that incorporates plasticity and adaptation to environmental change in marine ecosystems. We use this conceptual model to help inform where within the geographical range each mechanism will probably operate most strongly and explore the supporting evidence in species. We then expand the discussion from a single-species perspective to community-level responses and use the conceptual model to visualize and guide research into the important yet poorly understood processes of plasticity and adaptation.
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- 2019
14. Social-environmental drivers inform strategic management of coral reefs in the Anthropocene.
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Darling, ES, McClanahan, TR, Maina, J, Gurney, GG, Graham, NAJ, Januchowski-Hartley, F, Cinner, JE, Mora, C, Hicks, CC, Maire, E, Puotinen, M, Skirving, WJ, Adjeroud, M, Ahmadia, G, Arthur, R, Bauman, AG, Beger, M, Berumen, ML, Bigot, L, Bouwmeester, J, Brenier, A, Bridge, TCL, Brown, E, Campbell, SJ, Cannon, S, Cauvin, B, Chen, CA, Claudet, J, Denis, V, Donner, S, Estradivari, Fadli, N, Feary, DA, Fenner, D, Fox, H, Franklin, EC, Friedlander, A, Gilmour, J, Goiran, C, Guest, J, Hobbs, J-PA, Hoey, AS, Houk, P, Johnson, S, Jupiter, SD, Kayal, M, Kuo, C-Y, Lamb, J, Lee, MAC, Low, J, Muthiga, N, Muttaqin, E, Nand, Y, Nash, KL, Nedlic, O, Pandolfi, JM, Pardede, S, Patankar, V, Penin, L, Ribas-Deulofeu, L, Richards, Z, Roberts, TE, Rodgers, KS, Safuan, CDM, Sala, E, Shedrawi, G, Sin, TM, Smallhorn-West, P, Smith, JE, Sommer, B, Steinberg, PD, Sutthacheep, M, Tan, CHJ, Williams, GJ, Wilson, S, Yeemin, T, Bruno, JF, Fortin, M-J, Krkosek, M, Mouillot, D, Darling, ES, McClanahan, TR, Maina, J, Gurney, GG, Graham, NAJ, Januchowski-Hartley, F, Cinner, JE, Mora, C, Hicks, CC, Maire, E, Puotinen, M, Skirving, WJ, Adjeroud, M, Ahmadia, G, Arthur, R, Bauman, AG, Beger, M, Berumen, ML, Bigot, L, Bouwmeester, J, Brenier, A, Bridge, TCL, Brown, E, Campbell, SJ, Cannon, S, Cauvin, B, Chen, CA, Claudet, J, Denis, V, Donner, S, Estradivari, Fadli, N, Feary, DA, Fenner, D, Fox, H, Franklin, EC, Friedlander, A, Gilmour, J, Goiran, C, Guest, J, Hobbs, J-PA, Hoey, AS, Houk, P, Johnson, S, Jupiter, SD, Kayal, M, Kuo, C-Y, Lamb, J, Lee, MAC, Low, J, Muthiga, N, Muttaqin, E, Nand, Y, Nash, KL, Nedlic, O, Pandolfi, JM, Pardede, S, Patankar, V, Penin, L, Ribas-Deulofeu, L, Richards, Z, Roberts, TE, Rodgers, KS, Safuan, CDM, Sala, E, Shedrawi, G, Sin, TM, Smallhorn-West, P, Smith, JE, Sommer, B, Steinberg, PD, Sutthacheep, M, Tan, CHJ, Williams, GJ, Wilson, S, Yeemin, T, Bruno, JF, Fortin, M-J, Krkosek, M, and Mouillot, D
- Abstract
Without drastic efforts to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate globalized stressors, tropical coral reefs are in jeopardy. Strategic conservation and management requires identification of the environmental and socioeconomic factors driving the persistence of scleractinian coral assemblages-the foundation species of coral reef ecosystems. Here, we compiled coral abundance data from 2,584 Indo-Pacific reefs to evaluate the influence of 21 climate, social and environmental drivers on the ecology of reef coral assemblages. Higher abundances of framework-building corals were typically associated with: weaker thermal disturbances and longer intervals for potential recovery; slower human population growth; reduced access by human settlements and markets; and less nearby agriculture. We therefore propose a framework of three management strategies (protect, recover or transform) by considering: (1) if reefs were above or below a proposed threshold of >10% cover of the coral taxa important for structural complexity and carbonate production; and (2) reef exposure to severe thermal stress during the 2014-2017 global coral bleaching event. Our findings can guide urgent management efforts for coral reefs, by identifying key threats across multiple scales and strategic policy priorities that might sustain a network of functioning reefs in the Indo-Pacific to avoid ecosystem collapse.
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- 2019
15. Refugia under threat: Mass bleaching of coral assemblages in high-latitude eastern Australia
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Kim, SW, Sampayo, EM, Sommer, B, Sims, CA, Gómez-Cabrera, MDC, Dalton, SJ, Beger, M, Malcolm, HA, Ferrari, R, Fraser, N, Figueira, WF, Smith, SDA, Heron, SF, Baird, AH, Byrne, M, Eakin, CM, Edgar, R, Hughes, TP, Kyriacou, N, Liu, G, Matis, PA, Skirving, WJ, Pandolfi, JM, Kim, SW, Sampayo, EM, Sommer, B, Sims, CA, Gómez-Cabrera, MDC, Dalton, SJ, Beger, M, Malcolm, HA, Ferrari, R, Fraser, N, Figueira, WF, Smith, SDA, Heron, SF, Baird, AH, Byrne, M, Eakin, CM, Edgar, R, Hughes, TP, Kyriacou, N, Liu, G, Matis, PA, Skirving, WJ, and Pandolfi, JM
- Abstract
© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Environmental anomalies that trigger adverse physiological responses and mortality are occurring with increasing frequency due to climate change. At species' range peripheries, environmental anomalies are particularly concerning because species often exist at their environmental tolerance limits and may not be able to migrate to escape unfavourable conditions. Here, we investigated the bleaching response and mortality of 14 coral genera across high-latitude eastern Australia during a global heat stress event in 2016. We evaluated whether the severity of assemblage-scale and genus-level bleaching responses was associated with cumulative heat stress and/or local environmental history, including long-term mean temperatures during the hottest month of each year (SSTLTMAX), and annual fluctuations in water temperature (SSTVAR) and solar irradiance (PARZVAR). The most severely-bleached genera included species that were either endemic to the region (Pocillopora aliciae) or rare in the tropics (e.g. Porites heronensis). Pocillopora spp., in particular, showed high rates of immediate mortality. Bleaching severity of Pocillopora was high where SSTLTMAX was low or PARZVAR was high, whereas bleaching severity of Porites was directly associated with cumulative heat stress. While many tropical Acropora species are extremely vulnerable to bleaching, the Acropora species common at high latitudes, such as A. glauca and A. solitaryensis, showed little incidence of bleaching and immediate mortality. Two other regionally-abundant genera, Goniastrea and Turbinaria, were also largely unaffected by the thermal anomaly. The severity of assemblage-scale bleaching responses was poorly explained by the environmental parameters we examined. Instead, the severity of assemblage-scale bleaching was associated with local differences in species abundance and taxon-specific bleaching responses. The marked taxonomic disparity in bleaching severity, coupled with high morta
- Published
- 2019
16. Differential response to abiotic stress controls species distributions at biogeographic transition zones
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Sommer, B, Beger, M, Harrison, PL, Babcock, RC, and Pandolfi, JM
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Ecology ,0501 Ecological Applications, 0502 Environmental Science and Management, 0602 Ecology - Abstract
Understanding range limits is critical to predicting species responses to climate change. Subtropical environments, where many species overlap at their range margins, are cooler, more light-limited and variable than tropical environments. It is thus likely that species respond variably to these multi-stressor regimes and that factors other than mean climatic conditions drive biodiversity patterns. Here, we tested these hypotheses for scleractinian corals at their high-latitude range limits in eastern Australia and investigated the role of mean climatic conditions and of parameters linked to abiotic stress in explaining the distribution and abundance of different groups of species. We found that environmental drivers varied among taxa and were predominantly linked to abiotic stress. The distribution and abundance of tropical species and gradients in species richness (alpha diversity) and turnover (beta diversity) were best explained by light limitation, whereas minimum temperatures and temperature fluctuations best explained gradients in subtropical species, species nestedness and functional diversity. Variation in community structure (considering species composition and abundance) was most closely linked to the combined thermal and light regime. Our study demonstrates the role of abiotic stress in controlling the distribution of species towards their high-latitude range limits and suggests that, at biogeographic transition zones, robust predictions of the impacts of climate change require approaches that account for various aspects of physiological stress and for species abundances and characteristics. These findings support the hypothesis that abiotic stress controls high-latitude range limits and caution that projections solely based on mean temperature could underestimate species’ vulnerabilities to climate change.
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- 2018
17. Managing consequences of climate-driven species redistribution requires integration of ecology, conservation and social science
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Bonebrake, TC, Brown, CJ, Bell, JD, Blanchard, JL, Chauvenet, A, Champion, C, Chen, IC, Clark, TD, Colwell, RK, Danielsen, F, Dell, AI, Donelson, JM, Evengård, B, Ferrier, S, Frusher, S, Garcia, RA, Griffis, RB, Hobday, AJ, Jarzyna, MA, Lee, E, Lenoir, J, Linnetved, H, Martin, VY, McCormack, PC, McDonald, J, McDonald-Madden, E, Mitchell, N, Mustonen, T, Pandolfi, JM, Pettorelli, N, Possingham, H, Pulsifer, P, Reynolds, M, Scheffers, BR, Sorte, CJB, Strugnell, JM, Tuanmu, MN, Twiname, S, Vergés, A, Villanueva, C, Wapstra, E, Wernberg, T, Pecl, GT, Bonebrake, TC, Brown, CJ, Bell, JD, Blanchard, JL, Chauvenet, A, Champion, C, Chen, IC, Clark, TD, Colwell, RK, Danielsen, F, Dell, AI, Donelson, JM, Evengård, B, Ferrier, S, Frusher, S, Garcia, RA, Griffis, RB, Hobday, AJ, Jarzyna, MA, Lee, E, Lenoir, J, Linnetved, H, Martin, VY, McCormack, PC, McDonald, J, McDonald-Madden, E, Mitchell, N, Mustonen, T, Pandolfi, JM, Pettorelli, N, Possingham, H, Pulsifer, P, Reynolds, M, Scheffers, BR, Sorte, CJB, Strugnell, JM, Tuanmu, MN, Twiname, S, Vergés, A, Villanueva, C, Wapstra, E, Wernberg, T, and Pecl, GT
- Abstract
© 2017 Cambridge Philosophical Society Climate change is driving a pervasive global redistribution of the planet's species. Species redistribution poses new questions for the study of ecosystems, conservation science and human societies that require a coordinated and integrated approach. Here we review recent progress, key gaps and strategic directions in this nascent research area, emphasising emerging themes in species redistribution biology, the importance of understanding underlying drivers and the need to anticipate novel outcomes of changes in species ranges. We highlight that species redistribution has manifest implications across multiple temporal and spatial scales and from genes to ecosystems. Understanding range shifts from ecological, physiological, genetic and biogeographical perspectives is essential for informing changing paradigms in conservation science and for designing conservation strategies that incorporate changing population connectivity and advance adaptation to climate change. Species redistributions present challenges for human well-being, environmental management and sustainable development. By synthesising recent approaches, theories and tools, our review establishes an interdisciplinary foundation for the development of future research on species redistribution. Specifically, we demonstrate how ecological, conservation and social research on species redistribution can best be achieved by working across disciplinary boundaries to develop and implement solutions to climate change challenges. Future studies should therefore integrate existing and complementary scientific frameworks while incorporating social science and human-centred approaches. Finally, we emphasise that the best science will not be useful unless more scientists engage with managers, policy makers and the public to develop responsible and socially acceptable options for the global challenges arising from species redistributions.
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- 2018
18. Local and regional controls of phylogenetic structure at the high-latitude range limits of corals.
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Sommer, B, Sampayo, EM, Beger, M, Harrison, PL, Babcock, RC, Pandolfi, JM, Sommer, B, Sampayo, EM, Beger, M, Harrison, PL, Babcock, RC, and Pandolfi, JM
- Abstract
Understanding how range-edge populations will respond to climate change is an urgent research priority. Here, we used a phylogenetic community ecology approach to examine how ecological and evolutionary processes shape biodiversity patterns of scleractinian corals at their high-latitude range limits in eastern Australia. We estimated phylogenetic signal in seven ecologically important functional traits and conducted tests of phylogenetic structure at local and regional scales using the net relatedness (NRI) and nearest taxon indices (NTI) for the presence/absence and abundance data. Regional tests showed light phylogenetic clustering, indicating that coral species found in this subtropical-to-temperate transition zone are more closely related to each other than are species on the nearby, more northerly Great Barrier Reef. Local tests revealed variable patterns of phylogenetic clustering and overdispersion and higher than expected phylogenetic turnover among sites. In combination, these results are broadly consistent with the hierarchical filtering model, whereby species pass through a regional climatic filter based on their tolerances for marginal conditions and subsequently segregate into local assemblages according to the relative strength of habitat filtering and species interactions. Conservatism of tested traits suggests that corals will likely track their niches with climate change. Nevertheless, high turnover of lineages among sites indicates that range shifts will probably vary among species and highlights the vulnerability and conservation significance of high-latitude reefs.
- Published
- 2017
19. Global warming and recurrent mass bleaching of corals.
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Hughes, TP, Kerry, JT, Álvarez-Noriega, M, Álvarez-Romero, JG, Anderson, KD, Baird, AH, Babcock, RC, Beger, M, Bellwood, DR, Berkelmans, R, Bridge, TC, Butler, IR, Byrne, M, Cantin, NE, Comeau, S, Connolly, SR, Cumming, GS, Dalton, SJ, Diaz-Pulido, G, Eakin, CM, Figueira, WF, Gilmour, JP, Harrison, HB, Heron, SF, Hoey, AS, Hobbs, J-PA, Hoogenboom, MO, Kennedy, EV, Kuo, C-Y, Lough, JM, Lowe, RJ, Liu, G, McCulloch, MT, Malcolm, HA, McWilliam, MJ, Pandolfi, JM, Pears, RJ, Pratchett, MS, Schoepf, V, Simpson, T, Skirving, WJ, Sommer, B, Torda, G, Wachenfeld, DR, Willis, BL, Wilson, SK, Hughes, TP, Kerry, JT, Álvarez-Noriega, M, Álvarez-Romero, JG, Anderson, KD, Baird, AH, Babcock, RC, Beger, M, Bellwood, DR, Berkelmans, R, Bridge, TC, Butler, IR, Byrne, M, Cantin, NE, Comeau, S, Connolly, SR, Cumming, GS, Dalton, SJ, Diaz-Pulido, G, Eakin, CM, Figueira, WF, Gilmour, JP, Harrison, HB, Heron, SF, Hoey, AS, Hobbs, J-PA, Hoogenboom, MO, Kennedy, EV, Kuo, C-Y, Lough, JM, Lowe, RJ, Liu, G, McCulloch, MT, Malcolm, HA, McWilliam, MJ, Pandolfi, JM, Pears, RJ, Pratchett, MS, Schoepf, V, Simpson, T, Skirving, WJ, Sommer, B, Torda, G, Wachenfeld, DR, Willis, BL, and Wilson, SK
- Abstract
During 2015-2016, record temperatures triggered a pan-tropical episode of coral bleaching, the third global-scale event since mass bleaching was first documented in the 1980s. Here we examine how and why the severity of recurrent major bleaching events has varied at multiple scales, using aerial and underwater surveys of Australian reefs combined with satellite-derived sea surface temperatures. The distinctive geographic footprints of recurrent bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in 1998, 2002 and 2016 were determined by the spatial pattern of sea temperatures in each year. Water quality and fishing pressure had minimal effect on the unprecedented bleaching in 2016, suggesting that local protection of reefs affords little or no resistance to extreme heat. Similarly, past exposure to bleaching in 1998 and 2002 did not lessen the severity of bleaching in 2016. Consequently, immediate global action to curb future warming is essential to secure a future for coral reefs.
- Published
- 2017
20. Scope for latitudinal extension of reef corals is species specific
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Madin, JS, Allen, AP, Baird, AH, Pandolfi, JM, Sommer, B, Madin, JS, Allen, AP, Baird, AH, Pandolfi, JM, and Sommer, B
- Published
- 2016
21. Are coral reefs victims of their own past success?
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Renema, W, Pandolfi, JM, Kiessling, W, Bosellini, FR, Klaus, JS, Korpanty, C, Rosen, BR, Santodomingo, N, Wallace, CC, Webster, JM, Johnson, KG, Renema, W, Pandolfi, JM, Kiessling, W, Bosellini, FR, Klaus, JS, Korpanty, C, Rosen, BR, Santodomingo, N, Wallace, CC, Webster, JM, and Johnson, KG
- Abstract
NHM Repository
- Published
- 2016
22. Changing light levels induce photo-oxidative stress and alterations in shell density of Amphistegina lobifera (Foraminifera)
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Prazeres, M, primary, Uthicke, S, additional, and Pandolfi, JM, additional
- Published
- 2016
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23. The cumulative impacts of repeated heavy rainfall, flooding and altered water quality on the high-latitude coral reefs of Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia.
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Butler, IR, Sommer, B, Zann, M, Zhao, J-X, Pandolfi, JM, Butler, IR, Sommer, B, Zann, M, Zhao, J-X, and Pandolfi, JM
- Abstract
Terrestrial runoff and flooding have resulted in major impacts on coral communities worldwide, but we lack detailed understanding of flood plume conditions and their ecological effects. Over the course of repeated flooding between 2010 and 2013, we measured coral cover and water quality on the high-latitude coral reefs of Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia. In 2013, salinity, total suspended solids, total nitrogen and total phosphorus were altered for up to six months post-flooding. Submarine groundwater caused hypo-saline conditions for a further four months. Despite the greater magnitude of flooding in 2013, declines in coral abundance (∼28%) from these floods were lower than the 2011 flood (∼40%), which occurred immediately after a decade of severe drought. There was an overall cumulative decrease of coral by ∼56% from 2010 to 2013. Our study highlights the need for local scale monitoring and research to facilitate informed management and conservation of catchments and marine environments.
- Published
- 2015
24. Conserving potential coral reef refuges at high latitudes
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Beger, M, Sommer, B, Harrison, PL, Smith, SDA, Pandolfi, JM, Beger, M, Sommer, B, Harrison, PL, Smith, SDA, and Pandolfi, JM
- Abstract
Aim: High-latitude coral reef communities composed of tropical, subtropical and temperate species are heralded as climate change refuges for vulnerable tropical coral reef species, giving them high, but as yet unrealized, conservation priority. We review the ecology of subtropical reefs in the context of climate change and evaluate management strategies ensuring both their own continuity and their potential to act as refuges for tropical species. Location: Global high-latitude coral reef environments. Methods: We review the literature about refuges management, high-latitude reefs, climate change effects on reef organisms and the conservation of reefs. Results: High-latitude coral reef systems are functionally different from their tropical counterparts, characterized by unique biogeographical overlap of taxa at their range margins, endemic species and strong seasonality in species composition. They are shaped by marginal environmental conditions, which are predicted to undergo greater changes than reefs at lower latitudes, resulting in community re-assembly through range shifts, altered dispersal patterns, survivorship and habitat loss. The combined impact of these changes, however, is difficult to assess, as some effects may be antagonistic. Climate change conservation options include passive management strategies such as no-take reserves that aim to minimize local disturbances, and active strategies such as relocating populations to refuge sites. Success of active intervention relies on the long-term persistence of relocated populations, which is unlikely for high-latitude populations once source tropical populations at lower latitudes are locally extinct. Main conclusion: High-latitude reefs are poised for rapid modification under climate change. Management should anticipate these changes by setting up no-take reserves on suitable subtropical reefs now to foster ecosystem resilience through reduced anthropogenic impacts. Given the uncertainty over which species wi
- Published
- 2014
25. Trait-mediated environmental filtering drives assembly at biogeographic transition zones.
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Sommer, B, Harrison, PL, Beger, M, Pandolfi, JM, Sommer, B, Harrison, PL, Beger, M, and Pandolfi, JM
- Abstract
Abiotic filtering is a major driver of gradients in the structure and functioning of ecosystems from the tropics to the poles. It is thus likely that environmental filtering is an important assembly process at the transition of biogeographical zones where many species occur at their range limits. Shifts in species abundances and association patterns along environmental gradients can be indicative of environmental filtering, which is predicted to be stronger in areas of high abiotic stress and to promote increased similarity of ecological characteristics among co-occurring species. Here we test these hypotheses for scleractinian corals along a broad latitudinal gradient in high-latitude eastern Australia, where corals occur at the margins of their ranges and environmental tolerances. We quantify variation in taxonomic, zoogeographic, and functional patterns combined with null model approaches and demonstrate systematic spatial variation in community structure and significant covariance of species abundance distributions and functional characteristics along the latitudinal gradient. We describe a strong biogeographic transition zone, consistent with patterns expected under abiotic filtering, whereby species are sorted along the latitudinal gradient according to their tolerances for marginal reef conditions. High-latitude coastal reefs are typified by widely distributed, generalist, stress-tolerant coral species with massive and horizontally spreading morphologies and by diminishing influence of tropical taxa at higher latitudes and closer to the mainland. Higher degree of ecological similarity among co-occurring species than expected by chance supports the environmental filtering hypothesis. Among individual traits, the structural traits corallite size and colony morphology were filtered most strongly, suggesting that characteristics linked to energy acquisition and physical stability may be particularly important for coral survival in high-latitude environments. Thes
- Published
- 2014
26. The impacts of flooding on the high-latitude, terrigenoclastic influenced coral reefs of Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia
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Butler, IR, Sommer, B, Zann, M, Zhao, JX, Pandolfi, JM, Butler, IR, Sommer, B, Zann, M, Zhao, JX, and Pandolfi, JM
- Abstract
This study examines the impacts of an acute flooding event on the marginal, high-latitude, terrigenoclastic influenced coral reefs of Hervey Bay in southeast Queensland, Australia. In January 2011, the Mary River near Hervey Bay experienced its eleventh highest flood on record. The Mary River catchment has been highly modified since European colonisation, and, as a result of heavy rain and flooding, Hervey Bay was exposed to reduced salinity and elevated levels of turbidity and nutrients for approximately 14 weeks. Through the use of photograph transects and point intercept analysis, per cent cover of coral reef benthic communities was measured prior to and just after the flooding event. Sites were located between 250 m and 5 km from the mainland and from 18 to 85 km away from the mouth of the Mary River. Overall, there was a ~40 % reduction in coral cover post-flood, including significant mortality up to 89 % at four of six reefs. Mortality did not vary with distance along the coast from the Mary River, but mortality was found to be highest closer to the mainland, where turbidity and nutrients levels were also the highest. Despite the decades of input of highly turbid and nutrient laden waters from the Mary River, recovery has occurred in the past, and, given the persistence of similar conditions, would be expected to take place again. Climate change predicts increased frequency of severe storms and flooding, and this, combined with elevated sedimentation and nutrients from the highly modified catchment, may reduce these recovery periods, resulting in the deterioration of Hervey Bay reef communities. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
- Published
- 2013
27. Population genetics of Australian white sharks reveals fine-scale spatial structure, transoceanic dispersal events and low effective population sizes
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Blower, DC, Pandolfi, JM, Bruce, BD, Gomez-Cabrera, MdC, Ovenden, JR, Blower, DC, Pandolfi, JM, Bruce, BD, Gomez-Cabrera, MdC, and Ovenden, JR
- Abstract
Despite international protection of white sharks Carcharodon carcharias, important conservation parameters such as abundance, population structure and genetic diversity are largely unknown. The tissue of 97 predominately juvenile white sharks sampled from spatially distant eastern and southwestern Australian coastlines was sequenced for the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and genotyped with 6 nuclear-encoded microsatellite loci. MtDNA population structure was found between the eastern and southwestern coasts (F-ST = 0.142, p < 0.0001), implying female reproductive philopatry. This concurs with recent satellite and acoustic tracking findings which suggest the sustained presence of discrete east coast nursery areas. Furthermore, population subdivision was found between the same regions with biparentally inherited micro satellite markers (F-ST = 0.009, p < 0.05), suggesting that males may also exhibit some degree of reproductive philopatry; 5 sharks captured along the east coast had mtDNA haplotypes that resembled western Indian Ocean sharks more closely than Australian/New Zealand sharks, suggesting that transoceanic dispersal, or migration resulting in breeding, may occur sporadically. Our most robust estimate of contemporary genetic effective population size was low and close to thresholds at which adaptive potential may be lost. For a variety of reasons, these contemporary estimates were at least 1, possibly 2, orders of magnitude below our historical effective size estimates. Population decline could expose these genetically isolated populations to detrimental genetic effects. Regional Australian white shark conservation management units should be implemented until genetic population structure, size and diversity can be investigated in more detail.
- Published
- 2012
28. Research challenges to improve the management and conservation of subtropical reefs to tackle climate change threats: (Findings of a workshop conducted in Coffs Harbour, Australia on 13 September 2010)
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Beger, M, Babcock, R, Booth, DJ, Bucher, D, Condie, SA, Creese, B, Cvitanovic, C, Dalton, SJ, Harrison, P, Hoey, A, Jordan, A, Loder, J, Malcolm, H, Purcell, SW, Roelfsma, C, Sachs, P, Smith, SDA, Sommer, B, Stuart-Smith, R, Thomson, D, Wallace, CC, Zann, M, Pandolfi, JM, Beger, M, Babcock, R, Booth, DJ, Bucher, D, Condie, SA, Creese, B, Cvitanovic, C, Dalton, SJ, Harrison, P, Hoey, A, Jordan, A, Loder, J, Malcolm, H, Purcell, SW, Roelfsma, C, Sachs, P, Smith, SDA, Sommer, B, Stuart-Smith, R, Thomson, D, Wallace, CC, Zann, M, and Pandolfi, JM
- Abstract
This paper reports on a workshop conducted in Australia in 2010, entitled 'Management, Conservation, and Scientific Challenges on Subtropical Reefs under Climate Change'. The workshop brought together 26 experts actively involved in the science and management of subtropical reefs. Its primary aim was to identify the areas of research that need to be most urgently addressed to improve the decision-making framework for managers of subtropical reefs. The main findings of the workshop were a sustainable subtropical reefs declaration that highlights seven research priorities for subtropical reefs. These are to (i) conduct research and management activities across local government, state and bioregion borders; (ii) understand natural variability of environmental conditions; (iii) quantify socio-economic factors and ecosystem services; (iv) benchmark cross-realm connectivity; (v) know marine population connectivity; (vi) habitat mapping and ecological research; and (v) determine refugia. These findings are hoped to form a basis for focussing research efforts, leveraging funds and assisting managers with allocation of resources. © 2011 Ecological Society of Australia.
- Published
- 2011
29. No-take areas, herbivory and coral reef resilience
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Hughes, TP, Bellwood, DR, Folke, Carl, McCook, LJ, Pandolfi, JM, Hughes, TP, Bellwood, DR, Folke, Carl, McCook, LJ, and Pandolfi, JM
- Published
- 2007
30. Population genetics of Australian white sharks reveals fine-scale spatial structure, transoceanic dispersal events and low effective population sizes
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Blower, DC, primary, Pandolfi, JM, additional, Bruce, BD, additional, Gomez-Cabrera, MdC, additional, and Ovenden, JR, additional
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
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31. Inhibited growth in the photosymbiont-bearing foraminifer Marginopora vertebralis from the nearshore Great Barrier Reef, Australia
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Reymond, CE, primary, Uthicke, S, additional, and Pandolfi, JM, additional
- Published
- 2011
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32. Morphology and ecological zonation of Caribbean reef corals: the Montastraea ‘annularis’ species complex
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Pandolfi, JM, primary and Budd, AF, additional
- Published
- 2008
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33. Indo-Pacific coral biogeography: a case study from the Acropora selago group
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Wallace, CC, primary, Pandolfi, JM, additional, Young, A, additional, and Wolstenholme, J, additional
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- 1991
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34. Ocean acidification
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Howard, Wr, Nash, M., Anthony, K., Schmutter, K., Bostock, H., Bromhead, D., Byrne, M., Currie, K., Diaz-Pulido, G., Eggins, S., Ellwood, M., Eyre, B., Haese, R., Gustaaf Hallegraeff, Hill, K., Catriona Hurd, Law, C., Lenton, A., Matear, R., Mcneil, B., Mcculloch, M., Muller, Mn, Munday, P., Opdyke, B., Pandolfi, Jm, Richards, R., Roberts, D., Russell, Bd, Smith, Am, Tilbrook, B., Waite, A., and Williamson, J.
35. Taxa-dependent temporal trends in the abundance and size of sea urchins in subtropical eastern Australia.
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McLaren E, Sommer B, Pandolfi JM, Beger M, and Byrne M
- Abstract
Subtropical reefs host a dynamic mix of tropical, subtropical, and temperate species that is changing due to shifts in the abundance and distribution of species in response to ocean warming. In these transitional communities, biogeographic affinity is expected to predict changes in species composition, with projected increases of tropical species and declines in cool-affinity temperate species. Understanding population dynamics of species along biogeographic transition zones is critical, especially for habitat engineers such as sea urchins that can facilitate ecosystem shifts through grazing. We investigated the population dynamics of sea urchins on coral-associated subtropical reefs at 7 sites in eastern Australia (28.196° S to 30.95° S) over 9 years (2010-2019), a period impacted by warming and heatwaves. Specifically, we investigated the density and population size structure of taxa with temperate ( Centrostephanus rodgersii, Phyllacanthus parvispinus ), subtropical ( Tripneustes australiae ) and tropical ( Diadema spp.) affinities. Counter to expectation, biogeographic affinity did not explain shifts in species abundances in this region. Although we expected the abundance of tropical species to increase at their cold range boundaries, tropical Diadema species declined across all sites. The subtropical T. australiae also showed declines, while populations of the temperate C. rodgersii were remarkably stable throughout our study period. Our results show that temporal patterns of sea urchin populations in this region cannot be predicted by bio-geographic affinity alone and contribute critical information about the population dynamics of these important herbivores along this biogeographic transition zone., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s). Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
- Published
- 2024
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36. Decadal demographic shifts and size-dependent disturbance responses of corals in a subtropical warming hotspot.
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Sommer B, Hodge JM, Lachs L, Cant J, Pandolfi JM, and Beger M
- Subjects
- Animals, Coral Reefs, Population Dynamics, Chlorophyll A, Heat-Shock Response, Anthozoa physiology
- Abstract
Long-term demographic studies at biogeographic transition zones can elucidate how body size mediates disturbance responses. Focusing on subtropical reefs in eastern Australia, we examine trends in the size-structure of corals with contrasting life-histories and zoogeographies surrounding the 2016 coral bleaching event (2010-2019) to determine their resilience and recovery capacity. We document demographic shifts, with disproportionate declines in the number of small corals and long-term persistence of larger corals. The incidence of bleaching (Pocillopora, Turbinaria) and partial mortality (Acropora, Pocillopora) increased with coral size, and bleached corals had greater risk of partial mortality. While endemic Pocillopora experienced marked declines, decadal stability of Turbinaria despite bleaching, coupled with abundance increase and bleaching resistance in Acropora indicate remarkable resilience of these taxa in the subtropics. Declines in the number of small corals and variable associations with environmental drivers indicate bottlenecks to recovery mediated by inhibitory effects of thermal extremes for Pocillopora (heat stress) and Acropora (heat and cold stress), and stimulatory effects of chlorophyll-a for Turbinaria. Although our study reveals signs of resilience, it foreshadows the vulnerability of subtropical corals to changing disturbance regimes that include marine heatwaves. Disparity in population dynamics suggest that subtropical reefs are ecologically distinct from tropical coral reefs., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
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- 2024
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37. Influence of global warming and industrialization on coral reefs: A 600-year record of elemental changes in the Eastern Red Sea.
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Cai C, Hammerman NM, Pandolfi JM, Duarte CM, and Agusti S
- Subjects
- Animals, Global Warming, Indian Ocean, Cadmium, Industrial Development, Coral Reefs, Anthozoa
- Abstract
The Red Sea has been recognized as a coral reef refugia, but it is vulnerable to warming and pollution. Here we investigated the spatial and temporal trends of 15 element concentrations in 9 coral reef sediment cores (aged from the 1460s to the 1980s AD) to study the influence of global warming and industrialization on the Eastern Red Sea coral reefs. We found Na, Ca, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, and Sr concentrations were higher in the northern Red Sea (i.e., Yanbu), whereas Mg, P, S, Mn, and Cd concentrations were higher in the southern Red Sea (i.e., Thuwal & Al Lith) reef sediments. In the central (i.e., Thuwal) to southern (i.e., Al Lith) Red Sea, the study revealed diverse temporal trends in element concentrations. However, both reef sedimentation rates (-36.4 % and -80.5 %, respectively) and elemental accumulation rates (-49.4 % for Cd to -12.2 % for Zn in Thuwal, and -86.2 % for Co to -61.4 % for Cu in Al Lith) exhibited a declining pattern over time, possibly attributed to warming-induced thermal bleaching. In the central to northern Red Sea (i.e., Yanbu), the severity of thermal bleaching is low, while the reef sedimentation rates (187 %), element concentrations (6.7 % for S to 764 % for Co; except Na, Mg, Ca, Sr, and Cd), and all elemental accumulation rates (190 % for Mg to 2697 % for Co) exponentially increased from the 1970s, probably due the rapid industrialization in Yanbu. Our study also observed increased trace metal concentrations (e.g., Cu, Zn, and Ni) in the Thuwal and Al Lith coral reefs with severe bleaching histories, consistent with previous reports that trace metals might result in decreased resistance of corals to thermal stress under warming scenarios. Our study points to the urgent need to reduce the local discharge of trace metal pollutants to protect this biodiversity hotspot., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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38. Coral assemblages at higher latitudes favor short-term potential over long-term performance.
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Cant J, Reimer JD, Sommer B, Cook KM, Kim SW, Sims CA, Mezaki T, O'Flaherty C, Brooks M, Malcolm HA, Pandolfi JM, Salguero-Gómez R, and Beger M
- Subjects
- Humans, Animals, Ecosystem, Coral Reefs, Australia, Japan, Anthozoa
- Abstract
The persistent exposure of coral assemblages to more variable abiotic regimes is assumed to augment their resilience to future climatic variability. Yet, while the determinants of coral population resilience across species remain unknown, we are unable to predict the winners and losers across reef ecosystems exposed to increasingly variable conditions. Using annual surveys of 3171 coral individuals across Australia and Japan (2016-2019), we explore spatial variation across the short- and long-term dynamics of competitive, stress-tolerant, and weedy assemblages to evaluate how abiotic variability mediates the structural composition of coral assemblages. We illustrate how, by promoting short-term potential over long-term performance, coral assemblages can reduce their vulnerability to stochastic environments. However, compared to stress-tolerant, and weedy assemblages, competitive coral taxa display a reduced capacity for elevating their short-term potential. Accordingly, future climatic shifts threaten the structural complexity of coral assemblages in variable environments, emulating the degradation expected across global tropical reefs., (© 2023 The Authors. Ecology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Ecological Society of America.)
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- 2023
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- View/download PDF
39. Regional and global climate risks for reef corals: Incorporating species-specific vulnerability and exposure to climate hazards.
- Author
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Kim SW, Sommer B, Beger M, and Pandolfi JM
- Subjects
- Animals, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Aquatic Organisms, Refugium, Coral Reefs, Ecosystem, Anthozoa physiology
- Abstract
Climate change is driving rapid and widespread erosion of the environmental conditions that formerly supported species persistence. Existing projections of climate change typically focus on forecasts of acute environmental anomalies and global extinction risks. The current projections also frequently consider all species within a broad taxonomic group together without differentiating species-specific patterns. Consequently, we still know little about the explicit dimensions of climate risk (i.e., species-specific vulnerability, exposure and hazard) that are vital for predicting future biodiversity responses (e.g., adaptation, migration) and developing management and conservation strategies. Here, we use reef corals as model organisms (n = 741 species) to project the extent of regional and global climate risks of marine organisms into the future. We characterise species-specific vulnerability based on the global geographic range and historical environmental conditions (1900-1994) of each coral species within their ranges, and quantify the projected exposure to climate hazard beyond the historical conditions as climate risk. We show that many coral species will experience a complete loss of pre-modern climate analogs at the regional scale and across their entire distributional ranges, and such exposure to hazardous conditions are predicted to pose substantial regional and global climate risks to reef corals. Although high-latitude regions may provide climate refugia for some tropical corals until the mid-21st century, they will not become a universal haven for all corals. Notably, high-latitude specialists and species with small geographic ranges remain particularly vulnerable as they tend to possess limited capacities to avoid climate risks (e.g., via adaptive and migratory responses). Predicted climate risks are amplified substantially under the SSP5-8.5 compared with the SSP1-2.6 scenario, highlighting the need for stringent emission controls. Our projections of both regional and global climate risks offer unique opportunities to facilitate climate action at spatial scales relevant to conservation and management., (© 2023 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
- Published
- 2023
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40. Temperate functional niche availability not resident-invader competition shapes tropicalisation in reef fishes.
- Author
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Miller MGR, Reimer JD, Sommer B, Cook KM, Pandolfi JM, Obuchi M, and Beger M
- Subjects
- Animals, Fishes, Australia, Biomass, Ecosystem, Coral Reefs
- Abstract
Temperate reefs are at the forefront of warming-induced community alterations resulting from poleward range shifts. This tropicalisation is exemplified and amplified by tropical species' invasions of temperate herbivory functions. However, whether other temperate ecosystem functions are similarly invaded by tropical species, and by what drivers, remains unclear. We examine tropicalisation footprints in nine reef fish functional groups using trait-based analyses and biomass of 550 fish species across tropical to temperate gradients in Japan and Australia. We discover that functional niches in transitional communities are asynchronously invaded by tropical species, but with congruent invasion schedules for functional groups across the two hemispheres. These differences in functional group tropicalisation point to habitat availability as a key determinant of multi-species range shifts, as in the majority of functional groups tropical and temperate species share functional niche space in suitable habitat. Competition among species from different thermal guilds played little part in limiting tropicalisation, rather available functional space occupied by temperate species indicates that tropical species can invade. Characterising these drivers of reef tropicalisation is pivotal to understanding, predicting, and managing marine community transformation., (© 2023. The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2023
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41. Research priorities for the sustainability of coral-rich western Pacific seascapes.
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Cumming GS, Adamska M, Barnes ML, Barnett J, Bellwood DR, Cinner JE, Cohen PJ, Donelson JM, Fabricius K, Grafton RQ, Grech A, Gurney GG, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Hoey AS, Hoogenboom MO, Lau J, Lovelock CE, Lowe R, Miller DJ, Morrison TH, Mumby PJ, Nakata M, Pandolfi JM, Peterson GD, Pratchett MS, Ravasi T, Riginos C, Rummer JL, Schaffelke B, Wernberg T, and Wilson SK
- Abstract
Nearly a billion people depend on tropical seascapes. The need to ensure sustainable use of these vital areas is recognised, as one of 17 policy commitments made by world leaders, in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 ('Life below Water') of the United Nations. SDG 14 seeks to secure marine sustainability by 2030. In a time of increasing social-ecological unpredictability and risk, scientists and policymakers working towards SDG 14 in the Asia-Pacific region need to know: (1) How are seascapes changing? (2) What can global society do about these changes? and (3) How can science and society together achieve sustainable seascape futures? Through a horizon scan, we identified nine emerging research priorities that clarify potential research contributions to marine sustainability in locations with high coral reef abundance. They include research on seascape geological and biological evolution and adaptation; elucidating drivers and mechanisms of change; understanding how seascape functions and services are produced, and how people depend on them; costs, benefits, and trade-offs to people in changing seascapes; improving seascape technologies and practices; learning to govern and manage seascapes for all; sustainable use, justice, and human well-being; bridging communities and epistemologies for innovative, equitable, and scale-crossing solutions; and informing resilient seascape futures through modelling and synthesis. Researchers can contribute to the sustainability of tropical seascapes by co-developing transdisciplinary understandings of people and ecosystems, emphasising the importance of equity and justice, and improving knowledge of key cross-scale and cross-level processes, feedbacks, and thresholds., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing interests., (© The Author(s) 2023.)
- Published
- 2023
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42. Selective deep water coral bleaching occurs through depth isolation.
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Eyal G, Laverick JH, Ben-Zvi O, Brown KT, Kramer N, Tamir R, Lindemann Y, Levy O, and Pandolfi JM
- Subjects
- Animals, Coral Bleaching, Coral Reefs, Water, Anthozoa, Ecosystem
- Abstract
Climate change is degrading coral reefs around the world. Mass coral bleaching events have become more frequent in recent decades, leading to dramatic declines in coral cover. Mesophotic coral ecosystems (30-150 m depth) comprise an estimated 50-80 % of global coral reef area. The potential for these to act as refuges from climate change is unresolved. Here, we report three mesophotic-specific coral bleaching events in the northern Red Sea over the course of eight years. Over the last decade, faster temperature increases at mesophotic depths resulted in ~50 % decline in coral populations, while the adjacent shallow coral reefs remained intact. Further, community structure shifted from hard coral dominated to turf algae dominated throughout these recurrent bleaching events. Our results do not falsify the notion of the northern Red Sea as a thermal refuge for shallow coral reefs, but question the capacity of mesophotic ecosystems to act as a universal tropical refuge., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2022
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43. Emergence patterns of locally novel plant communities driven by past climate change and modern anthropogenic impacts.
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Staples TL, Kiessling W, and Pandolfi JM
- Subjects
- Humans, Plants, Pollen, Anthropogenic Effects, Climate Change
- Abstract
Anthropogenic disturbance and climate change can result in dramatic increases in the emergence of new, ecologically novel, communities of organisms. We used a standardised framework to detect local novel communities in 2135 pollen time series over the last 25,000 years. Eight thousand years of post-glacial warming coincided with a threefold increase in local novel community emergence relative to glacial estimates. Novel communities emerged predominantly at high latitudes and were linked to global and local temperature change across multi-millennial time intervals. In contrast, emergence of locally novel communities in the last 200 years, although already on par with glacial retreat estimates, occurred at midlatitudes and near high human population densities. Anthropogenic warming does not appear to be strongly associated with modern local novel communities, but may drive widespread emergence in the future, with legacy effects for millennia after warming abates., (© 2022 The Authors. Ecology Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
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- 2022
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44. Author Correction: Functional consequences of Palaeozoic reef collapse.
- Author
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Bridge TCL, Baird AH, Pandolfi JM, McWilliam MJ, and Zapalski MK
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- 2022
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45. Projecting coral responses to intensifying marine heatwaves under ocean acidification.
- Author
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Klein SG, Geraldi NR, Anton A, Schmidt-Roach S, Ziegler M, Cziesielski MJ, Martin C, Rädecker N, Frölicher TL, Mumby PJ, Pandolfi JM, Suggett DJ, Voolstra CR, Aranda M, and Duarte CM
- Subjects
- Animals, Climate Change, Coral Reefs, Hydrogen-Ion Concentration, Oceans and Seas, Seawater, Anthozoa physiology
- Abstract
Over this century, coral reefs will run the gauntlet of climate change, as marine heatwaves (MHWs) become more intense and frequent, and ocean acidification (OA) progresses. However, we still lack a quantitative assessment of how, and to what degree, OA will moderate the responses of corals to MHWs as they intensify throughout this century. Here, we first projected future MHW intensities for tropical regions under three future greenhouse gas emissions scenario (representative concentration pathways, RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) for the near-term (2021-2040), mid-century (2041-2060) and late-century (2081-2100). We then combined these MHW intensity projections with a global data set of 1,788 experiments to assess coral attribute performance and survival under the three emissions scenarios for the near-term, mid-century and late-century in the presence and absence of OA. Although warming and OA had predominately additive impacts on the coral responses, the contribution of OA in affecting most coral attributes was minor relative to the dominant role of intensifying MHWs. However, the addition of OA led to greater decreases in photosynthesis and survival under intermediate and unrestricted emissions scenario for the mid- and late-century than if intensifying MHWs were considered as the only driver. These results show that role of OA in modulating coral responses to intensifying MHWs depended on the focal coral attribute and extremity of the scenario examined. Specifically, intensifying MHWs and OA will cause increasing instances of coral bleaching and substantial declines in coral productivity, calcification and survival within the next two decades under the low and intermediate emissions scenario. These projections suggest that corals must rapidly adapt or acclimatize to projected ocean conditions to persist, which is far more likely under a low emissions scenario and with increasing efforts to manage reefs to enhance resilience., (© 2021 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
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- 2022
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46. Reef accumulation is decoupled from recent degradation in the central and southern Red Sea.
- Author
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Hammerman NM, Roff G, Rodriguez-Ramirez A, Leonard N, Staples TL, Eyal G, Rossbach S, Havlik MN, Saderne V, Zhao JX, Duarte CM, and Pandolfi JM
- Subjects
- Animals, Bayes Theorem, Indian Ocean, Saudi Arabia, Anthozoa, Coral Reefs
- Abstract
Reefs are biogenic structures that result in three-dimensional accumulations of calcium carbonate. Over geological timescales, a positive balance between the production and accumulation of calcium carbonate versus erosional and off-reef transport processes maintains positive net accretion on reefs. Yet, how ecological processes occurring over decadal timescales translate to the accumulation of geological structures is poorly understood, in part due to a lack of studies with detailed time-constrained chronologies of reef accretion over decades to centuries. Here, we combined ecological surveys of living reefs with palaeoecological reconstructions and high-precision radiometric (U-Th) age-dating of fossil reefs represented in both reef sediment cores and surficial dead in situ corals, to reconstruct the history of community composition and carbonate accumulation across the central and southern Saudi Arabian Red Sea throughout the late Holocene. We found that reefs were primarily comprised of thermally tolerant massive Porites colonies, creating a consolidated coral framework, with unconsolidated branching coral rubble accumulating among massive corals on shallow (5-8 m depth) exposed (windward), and gently sloping reef slopes. These unconsolidated reef rubble fields were formed primarily from ex situ Acropora and Pocillopora coral fragments, infilled post deposition within a sedimentary matrix. Bayesian age-depth models revealed a process of punctuated deposition of post-mortem coral fragments transported from adjacent reef environments. That a large portion of Saudi Arabian Red Sea reef slopes is driven by allochthonous deposition (transportation) has important implications for modeling carbonate budgets and reef growth. In addition, a multi-decadal lag exists between the time of death for branching in situ coral and incorporation into the unconsolidated reef rubble. This indicates that recent climate related degradation in the 21st century has not had an immediately negative effect on reef building processes affecting a large portion of the reef area in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial or intellectual interests., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
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- 2022
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47. Functional consequences of Palaeozoic reef collapse.
- Author
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Bridge TCL, Baird AH, Pandolfi JM, McWilliam MJ, and Zapalski MK
- Abstract
Biogenic reefs have been hotspots of biodiversity and evolutionary novelty throughout the Phanerozoic. The largest reef systems in Earth's history occurred in the Devonian period, but collapsed during the Late Devonian Mass Extinction. However, the consequences for the functional diversity of Palaeozoic reefs have received little attention. Here, we examine changes in the functional diversity of tabulate coral assemblages over a 35 million year period from the middle Devonian to the Carboniferous, straddling the multiphase extinction event to identify the causes and ecological consequences of the extinction for tabulate corals. By examining five key morphological traits, we show a divergent response of taxonomic and functional diversity to the mass extinction: taxonomic richness peaked during the Givetian (~ 388-383 Ma) and coincided with peak reef building, but functional diversity was only moderate because many species had very similar trait combinations. The collapse of taxonomic diversity and reef building in the late Devonian had minimal impact on functional richness of coral assemblages. However, non-random shifts towards species with larger corallites and lower colony integration suggest a shift from photosymbiotic to asymbiotic taxa associated over the study period. Our results suggest that the collapse of the huge Devonian reef systems was correlated with a breakdown of photosymbiosis and extinction of photosymbiotic tabulate coral taxa. Despite the appearance of new tabulate coral species over the next 35 million years, the extinction of taxa with photosymbiotic traits had long-lasting consequences for reef building and, by extension, shallow marine ecosystems in the Palaeozoic., (© 2022. The Author(s).)
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- 2022
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48. Integrating environmental variability to broaden the research on coral responses to future ocean conditions.
- Author
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Ziegler M, Anton A, Klein SG, Rädecker N, Geraldi NR, Schmidt-Roach S, Saderne V, Mumby PJ, Cziesielski MJ, Martin C, Frölicher TL, Pandolfi JM, Suggett DJ, Aranda M, Duarte CM, and Voolstra CR
- Subjects
- Animals, Climate Change, Coral Reefs, Oceans and Seas, Temperature, Anthozoa
- Abstract
Our understanding of the response of reef-building corals to changes in their physical environment is largely based on laboratory experiments, analysis of long-term field data, and model projections. Experimental data provide unique insights into how organisms respond to variation of environmental drivers. However, an assessment of how well experimental conditions cover the breadth of environmental conditions and variability where corals live successfully is missing. Here, we compiled and analyzed a globally distributed dataset of in-situ seasonal and diurnal variability of key environmental drivers (temperature, pCO
2 , and O2 ) critical for the growth and livelihood of reef-building corals. Using a meta-analysis approach, we compared the variability of environmental conditions assayed in coral experimental studies to current and projected conditions in their natural habitats. We found that annual temperature profiles projected for the end of the 21st century were characterized by distributional shifts in temperatures with warmer winters and longer warm periods in the summer, not just peak temperatures. Furthermore, short-term hourly fluctuations of temperature and pCO2 may regularly expose corals to conditions beyond the projected average increases for the end of the 21st century. Coral reef sites varied in the degree of coupling between temperature, pCO2 , and dissolved O2 , which warrants site-specific, differentiated experimental approaches depending on the local hydrography and influence of biological processes on the carbonate system and O2 availability. Our analysis highlights that a large portion of the natural environmental variability at short and long timescales is underexplored in experimental designs, which may provide a path to extend our understanding on the response of corals to global climate change., (© 2021 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)- Published
- 2021
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49. The transformation of Caribbean coral communities since humans.
- Author
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Cramer KL, Donovan MK, Jackson JBC, Greenstein BJ, Korpanty CA, Cook GM, and Pandolfi JM
- Abstract
The mass die-off of Caribbean corals has transformed many of this region's reefs to macroalgal-dominated habitats since systematic monitoring began in the 1970s. Although attributed to a combination of local and global human stressors, the lack of long-term data on Caribbean reef coral communities has prevented a clear understanding of the causes and consequences of coral declines. We integrated paleoecological, historical, and modern survey data to track the occurrence of major coral species and life-history groups throughout the Caribbean from the prehuman period to the present. The regional loss of Acropora corals beginning by the 1960s from local human disturbances resulted in increases in the occurrence of formerly subdominant stress-tolerant and weedy scleractinian corals and the competitive hydrozoan Millepora beginning in the 1970s and 1980s. These transformations have resulted in the homogenization of coral communities within individual countries. However, increases in stress-tolerant and weedy corals have slowed or reversed since the 1980s and 1990s in tandem with intensified coral bleaching and disease. These patterns reveal the long history of increasingly stressful environmental conditions on Caribbean reefs that began with widespread local human disturbances and have recently culminated in the combined effects of local and global change., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2021 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
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- 2021
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50. The projected degradation of subtropical coral assemblages by recurrent thermal stress.
- Author
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Cant J, Salguero-Gómez R, Kim SW, Sims CA, Sommer B, Brooks M, Malcolm HA, Pandolfi JM, and Beger M
- Subjects
- Animals, Australia, Coral Reefs, Islands, Anthozoa
- Abstract
Subtropical coral assemblages are threatened by similar extreme thermal stress events to their tropical counterparts. Yet, the mid- and long-term thermal stress responses of corals in subtropical environments remain largely unquantified, limiting our capacity to predict their future viability. The annual survival, growth and recruitment of 311 individual corals within the Solitary Islands Marine Park (Australia) was recorded over a 3-year period (2016-2018), including the 2015/2016 thermal stress event. These data were used to parameterise integral projection models quantifying the effect of thermal stress within a subtropical coral assemblage. Stochastic simulations were also applied to evaluate the implications of recurrent thermal stress scenarios predicted by four different Representative Concentration Pathways. We report differential shifts in population growth rates (λ) among coral populations during both stress and non-stress periods, confirming contrasting bleaching responses among taxa. However, even during non-stress periods, the observed dynamics for all taxa were unable to maintain current community composition, highlighting the need for external recruitment sources to support the community structure. Across all coral taxa, projected stochastic growth rates (λ
s ) were found to be lowest under higher emissions scenarios. Correspondingly, predicted increases in recurrent thermal stress regimes may accelerate the loss of coral coverage, species diversity and structural complexity within subtropical regions. We suggest that these trends are primarily due to the susceptibility of subtropical specialists and endemic species, such as Pocillopora aliciae, to thermal stress. Similarly, the viability of many tropical coral populations at higher latitudes is highly dependent on the persistence of up-current tropical systems. As such, the inherent dynamics of subtropical coral populations appear unable to support their future persistence under unprecedented thermal disturbance scenarios., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.)- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
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